It’s springtime, and you know what that means, the Hawks baseball team is back on the diamond.
Coming off a WPIAL silver finish in 2024, Bethel Park returns seven starters and 12 lettermen.
Coach Zehnder, Coach King, Coach Reft and Coach Dillinger have the team poised to make another trip to Wild Things Park.
The infield is anchored by all-section senior shortstop Ryan Petras, who last season batted .452, with 33 hits, 27 runs, 20 stolen bases, and 17 RBIs.
All-section senior catcher Ethan Stanhoff returns behind the dish, coming off a 2024 campaign where he hit at a .386 clip while tallying 23 RBIs.
Senior first baseman and Gannon-commit Dylan Paul returns, after hitting .333 last season.
Junior third baseman/pitcher Mike Bruckner returns for a third season to man the hot corner, as he is also one of the most touted hitters in the WPIAL Class of 2026.
Junior utility man Nick “Big Paws” Rillo rounds out the infield at second base, while designated hitter and Seton Hill recruit Noah LeJeune is coming off a junior season where he batted .313.
Virginia Tech recruit Ryan Walsh and three-sport athlete Jack Bruckner, both seniors, return in the outfield, while senior Joe Levis takes over for all-section outfielder Ryan Tierney, who matriculated to St. Vincent.
Seniors Aaron Hofbauer and Brian Bitkowski and junior Owen Turoski will also patrol the outfield for the Hawks.
The pitching staff features seniors Dylan Schumacher, Owen White, Cody Roberts, Walsh, Paul, and Levis. Schumacher has signed with IUP, and White with Allegheny.
Juniors Mike Bruckner, Mason and Tyler Stewart, Matt Hughes, and Rillo will add depth to this talented pitching staff.
Six sophomores round out the varsity roster with catcher Eric Miehl, outfielder Caden Stokes, pitcher Jace Rendulic, and infielders Brady Bruckner, Colton Fisher and Chase White.
Hawks win three in Myrtle Beach
Coach Zehnder added a new wrinkle to the mix this season, by kicking the season off in Myrtle Beach, S.C. With the generosity and hard work of the booster club, the baseball team could play a scrimmage and four games in the Palmetto state.
In the season opener against Putnam Science Academy (Conn.), Schumacher toed the rubber and carved up the Mustangs in his three innings of work, while Mike Bruckner struck out the side to seal the 13-2 Hawks’ victory.
Stanhoff collected three hits, Walsh ripped a pair of hits and drove in two, while Jack Bruckner smacked a bases-clearing double.
In the second game, Paul hurled four innings, allowing one run, while fanning five Lakers, and exited with a 6-1 lead, due to LeJeune, Jack, and Mike Bruckner providing the heavy lifting on offense.
However, the Boys Latin School (Md.) mounted a comeback and defeated the Hawks 9-6.
The Hawks bounced back in the nightcap with a 12-1 victory over Patrick County (Va.), with a strong start from Mason Stewart, who fired three-plus innings, only an unearned run crossed the plate for the Cougars, while Mason punched out four.
He turned the reins over to brother Tyler, who promptly retired the next four batters, whiffing two of them.
Roberts came on and baffled the Cougars, slamming the door.
Petras, Lejeune, and Miehl drilled a pair of hits, while Miehl launched a homer over the fence, leading an 11-hit performance by the Hawks.
In the finale, Bethel Park met Central Bucks South from Eastern Pennsylvania.
The Black Hawks scored in all but one inning, as LeJeune chalked up three hits, while Stanhoff had two hits and two RBIs.
Mike Bruckner tripled and crushed a home run, and knocked in five runs. Petras ripped a double, and Rillo connected on an RBI single.
Bethel Park will open up section play on Tuesday, March 25 at Upper St. Clair in a double-header beginning at 4 p.m.
The Hawks swept the Panthers last season, on their way to a 36th section crown.
