Championship coach helps Bethel Park baseball navigate tough section

By: Ray Fisher
Saturday, June 21, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Bethel Park’s Pat Zehnder is one of the more quotable baseball coaches in the area.

Want some proof?

After senior star Ryan Petras ran home from third on a wild pitch in the bottom of the eighth inning in the Black Hawks’ 5-4 win against Thomas Jefferson in the WPIAL Class 5A semifinal round, Zehnder said the following.

“We always say it doesn’t always have to be pretty; it just has to be gritty. This one definitely wasn’t pretty, that’s for sure.

“TJ is a great team with a great pitching staff. You know you’re in for a battle, so the fact we were able to get runs early on them, we felt really confident that would bode well for us.”

Left-handed junior Matthew Hughes pitched 1⅔ innings of scoreless relief against TJ, then senior righty Mike Bruckner tossed the final four, allowing no runs, four hits and two walks while striking out seven.

“He’s one of the best pitchers in the WPIAL, and he hasn’t started a game for us this year,” Zehnder said of Bruckner. “We love to have him in that second half of the game situation whether we get a lead or it’s tied. He’s able to get the toughest outs in the game, and he’s done it all year. He’s a selfless guy and does whatever the team needs.”

The Black Hawks finished with a 4-2 playoff record and went 20-6 overall. They started the postseason on an eight-game winning streak.

“Our offense is able to put pressure on defenses with bunts and runs. The dam is going to break eventually,” Zehnder said. “These guys have such resiliency. They are an experienced group.”

Bethel Park received the No. 4 seed for the district tournament where it rolled to an 11-1 first-round win in six innings against Franklin Regional. The Panthers fell to 10-9 with their sixth consecutive loss.

Bethel Park blew open a close game with seven runs in the bottom of the fifth. With the bases loaded and one out, Bethel Park junior Nick Rillo was hit by a pitch to force home the first run of the inning.

“That was a big swing play,” Zehnder said. “I had every faith Rillo would have a productive at-bat, but we’ll take the free base any way we can get it. Wind goes out of their sails, and we breathe a sigh of relief, and it was go time from there.”

“Go time” included a two-run single by Eric Miehl following Rillo’s at-bat, a run-producing fielder’s choice by Owen White, a two-run single by Joey Levis and a run-scoring single by Noah LeJeune.

During the regular season, Bethel Park won the Section 2-5A championship and swept a pair of two-game series in the process. One of the sweeps came in back-to-back close wins against Moon, which ended up 4-8 in section play.

“This year, (our section) lost Connellsville and we gained Moon and Char Valley,” Zehnder said. “Moon is so much better than their record. They and Char Valley are the bottom two teams record-wise, which just shows how strong this section is.

“It’s a lot of fun. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t mind a couple of easy wins, but there are none. If this doesn’t get you battle tested, I don’t know what can.”

Senior Ethan Stanhoff hit .368 this season and was a steadying force behind home plate for the Black Hawks pitching corps.

“For my money, he’s one of the best catchers in the WPIAL,” Zehnder said. “What makes him so special is that not only is he able to move laterally to get in front of the ball, but it’s amazing how he can angle his body and the ball is always in front of him.”

The club’s pitching staff was anchored by senior Dylan Schumacher, who posted a 5-2 record and struck out 43 in 42 1/3 innings. In all, 11 players pitched for the Black Hawks this spring.

“Kudos to coach Jared King, who has done an awesome job with the pitching staff,” Zehnder said. “We’re so deep that there are guys that haven’t thrown at all varsity wise who are good enough to pitch for us. We’re very fortunate to have a lot of great arms.”

Bethel Park’s highly successful coach welcomed 13 returning lettermen to the team in 2025 and five potential Division I prospects — Ryan Petras, Ryan Walsh, Mike Bruckner, Rillo and Miehl.

“We have seven out of nine starting positions returning from last year,” Zehnder said prior to the start of the season. “We return many players with both starting and general playing experience. They have been in big games and performed well, so expectations are understandably high going into this season.

“We hope to stay healthy and hungry and can’t wait to get going.”

The Black Hawks won the section crown in 2024 with a 7-3 record ahead of South Fayette (6-4), Connellsville (5-5) and Trinity (5-5).

This year, Bethel Park advanced to the WPIAL semifinals, won the third-place game and went 1-1 in the state tournament.

It appears the Black Hawks are well built for another strong postseason run in 2026.

Tags: Bethel Park