Rebuilding North Hills baseball learning how to win again

By: Josh Rowntree
Saturday, April 12, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Jon Pedrosky knew that, eventually, a bit of a reset button would have to be pushed for his North Hills baseball program.

While 2025 may end up being that season, the Indians are determined to not go down without a fight.

Through April 7, the Indians sat at 2-7 overall and 0-4 in Section 1-6A. But the record, a downturn from their 12-5 season in 2024, may not be indicative of the competitive nature with which North Hills has played.

“The last two years, we’ve lost over 20 seniors, and a large group of those kids were starters,” said Pedrosky, in his fourth season at the helm of the program. “This year has been one of the smaller senior classes. We’ve had a couple of injuries to some of our arms, and we moved up to Class 6A. So it’s sort of been a perfect storm.”

Pedrosky has, however, been encouraged by the way the team has battled but also plenty frustrated by a couple of heartbreaking losses. The Indians fell in back-to-back games to a strong Butler team, coughing up a 7-0 lead to lose 8-7 and surrendering a 2-0 lead to lose 4-3. North Hills also had two-run losses to Central Catholic and Mars in competitive games.

“It’s encouraging,” he said of the tight games. “We’re so close. We have to learn how to win again. The group we had the last couple of years, we had to learn how to win. We showed that in a tough section in Class 5A.

“Right now, we’re finding ways to lose instead of win. But these kids will get it. They’re smart kids and very hardworking. But you have to experience it to learn it, and right now, we don’t have that experience.”

The move up to Class 6A hit the Indians hard, and moving into a section with the likes of traditional powers in Butler, Seneca Valley, Central Catholic and North Allegheny has compounded matters.

“I like to see these young kids out there competing and seeing what they have,” Pedrosky said. “When you’re playing at the 6A level, you have the best baseball in the area. With the section we’re in, they didn’t do us any favors. It’s loaded with talent, and you see the best baseball day in and day out.

“Our guys have held our own so far. We have had a couple of hiccups here and there and showed our youth, but they’re hanging in there. I’m proud of the way we’re competing.”

Offensively, Pedrosky is hopeful that more bats emerge with experience. Freshman Liam Connolly has stood out, as has senior designated hitter Zach Sprinkle.

Aiding some of the offense woes has been a relatively strong season on the mound. North Hills has been receiving some strong efforts from its top pitchers in senior Tristin Weimann, who is committed to play at Division II Salem (W.Va.). Junior Kaden Cutler and freshman Austin Ellis have impressed on the bump as well.

Ellis, who plays high level travel baseball in the summers, eventually will get plenty of collegiate interest as he matures, per Pedrosky.

“Our pitching has really kept us in some games,” said Pedrosky, who had to replace a lot on the mound this year, particularly following the departure of Delaware recruit Jake Pollaro. “They’ve generally been really good for us.”

It’s his hope that, as the season continues, that young group of players — as well as the more veteran ones — will take plenty of lessons away from competing in a grueling section day in and day out.

“Each game, we have 2-3 freshmen in the lineup and maybe 4-5 sophomores at times, too,” Pedrosky said. “They’re very young and they’re learning on the fly, very, very quickly.

“I’m telling them to take something from each of these losses. It’s only going to help us in the future. It may not be this year, but in years to come. There’s certainly a bright future here.”

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