Trib HSSN baseball player of the week for May 18, 2025

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, May 18, 2025 | 9:05 PM

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Trib HSSN baseball player of the week: Johnny Bertucci Jr.

School: Riverview

Class: Senior

Position: Pitcher, outfielder, infielder

#Earned: Bertucci was the leading rusher this past for the Riverview football team, but his biggest rush comes when he is having success on the baseball diamond. The Raiders have qualified for the WPIAL playoffs in each of his four years on the team. In his first three postseasons, Riverview has won in the first round, and then lost in the quarterfinals. This year, the Raiders continued the trend of winning opening round contests, but now they look to buck the season-ending losses in the quarters. Bertucci played a big part in the victory this past Thursday on the mound and at the plate. On the hill, Bertucci pitched a complete game, allowing two runs on five hits with eight strikeouts for the victory. At the plate, he did what good leadoff hitters are supposed to do: He went 2 for 3 with an RBI in the 6-2 victory over California. The Raiders will battle No. 3 Burgettstown on Tuesday at North Allegheny at 4:30 p.m.

Background: Bertucci will continue his academic and baseball career at Point Park in the fall. Besides football and baseball at Riverview, Bertucci also played soccer in his freshman season. When he was young, he played tennis, did some swimming and tried his hand at golf. On the mound this season, Bertucci has thrown 32 innings and allowed nine earned runs with 10 walks and 44 strikeouts in posting a 5-2 record and a 1.97 ERA. At the plate, he is hitting .355 with 16 runs scored and 11 RBIs out of the leadoff spot. He has a .412 on-base percentage, .484 slugging percentage and an OPS of .896. Besides baseball, one of the things that drew him to Point Park is their strong arts department as he has been involved in school musicals dating to his elementary and middle school days. Like his father, he has no middle name, and his first name is JohnPaul. Bertucci not only thrives on the athletic fields, he also does well in the classroom with a 4.0 GPA. He hopes to study sports management and broadcasting in college.

What coach says: “Johnny threw his typical game,” Riverview coach Bill Gras said about Bertucci’s performance against California. “He had a mix of pitches, excellent control with only one walk. He limited the base runners per inning and scattered hits throughout the game.”

Asked what makes Bertucci stand out on the baseball field, Gras said: “His composure. Johnny has performed on stage in front of many people in the past, so he is able to control his nerves. Also, he has great patience at the plate.

“Johnny was a captain last year as well as this year. He is a natural leader.”

2025 Trib HSSN Baseball Players of the Week

Week 6: Tyler Skaggs, Serra Catholic

Week 5: Ryan Piekutoski , Seneca Valley

Week 4: Brock Budacki, New Brighton

Week 3: Ryan Lafferty, Plum

Week 2: Mason Metz, Avonworth

Week 1: Eli Graff, Thomas Jefferson

Tags: Riverview