UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Baseball players and coaches have been known to be a superstitious bunch, a great example being Bethel Park’s team, which made the mid-June drive Friday to Penn State for the second year in a row.
“We tried to do everything the same,” coach Pat Zehnder said. “We left at the same time. We stopped at the same place. We got here about the same time. The same people went to the bathroom. We tried to keep it as much the same as possible.”
Zehnder might be onto something because the outcome of the PIAA Class 5A baseball championship remained the same, too — Bethel Park won again.
Evan Holewinski pitched a three-hitter and Cody Geddes homered to lead Bethel Park to a 5-0 win against Selinsgrove at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
Final — Bethel Park 5, Selinsgrove 0 … That’s back-to-back PIAA Class 5A titles for Bethel, which becomes only the fourth WPIAL team ever to win consecutive state baseball titles. Evan Holewinski fired a 3-hitter and Cody Geddes homered. pic.twitter.com/W7MMBWHDvS
— Brad Everett (@BREAL412) June 17, 2022
Bethel Park (21-4) made some history Friday, becoming only the fourth WPIAL team to win back-to-back PIAA baseball titles, joining Riverside (2005-2006 and 2011-2012) and Moon (2001-2002). It was the third PIAA title overall for the Black Hawks, who denied District 4 champion Selinsgrove (23-3) from winning its second title.
“Last year coming into the game we had something to prove,” Holewinski said. “This year we had even more to prove that we’re still here. I think every guy here had the chip on their shoulder and we knew we had to prove it again. I’m glad we did it.”
Bethel Park junior Evan Holewinski tossed another gem today, and it came on a big stage. Fired a three-hitter and needed only 76 pitches to shut out Selinsgrove, 5-0, in the PIAA Class 5A championship. Now back-to-back state titles for the Black Hawks. pic.twitter.com/8sSIUxY395
— Brad Everett (@BREAL412) June 18, 2022
Holewinski, a junior right-hander, didn’t pitch in last year’s 4-2 championship win against Red Land. He not only pitched this time, but he produced an exceptional outing, firing seven shutout innings with five strikeouts and no walks. He surrendered only three singles — one to the first hitter he faced and the others in the sixth and seventh innings. He struck out mound opponent Ryan Reich swinging to end the game.
“He kept our hitters off balance,” said Selinsgrove coach Brent Beiler. “He’s got a little bit of a funky arm angle there, and he kept the ball down. His curveball looked good, and his pitch selection was good, as well. You can tell he’s been around and he’s won a lot of big games. Hats off to him. He did a good job.”
The most impressive stat pertaining to Holewinski might have been his pitch count, as the Kent State recruit needed only 76 pitches to throw a complete-game shutout. He improved to 10-0 on the season and 16-1 in his career.
“He understands he has a really good defense behind him, and we’re best if he can throw all game,” Zehnder said. “If he’s working short at-bats and gets guys out with three pitches or less, we’re able to use him consistently and keep him in the whole game.”
Fellow senior Cody Geddes provided all the run sport Holewinski would need when he hit a 1-2 breaking ball over the left-field fence for a home run with one out in the fourth. A year earlier, Geddes hit a two-run triple and earned the save in the championship triumph.
“I just see the ball really well here. I don’t know what it is about the field,” said Geddes, who collected three of Bethel Park’s eight hits and finished with two RBIs.
“Big Game Cody” showed up again today for Bethel Park. Cody Geddes had a two-run triple in last year’s PIAA championship. This time? He sent a pitch over the wall for a home run. pic.twitter.com/c2zRQTw1up
— Brad Everett (@BREAL412) June 18, 2022
Bethel Park tacked on three additional runs in the sixth off of Reich, a Seton Hall recruit who went 6⅔ innings, giving up five runs (three earned) and one walk with nine strikeouts. After David Kessler and Geddes hit consecutive singles, Ray Altmeyer reached on an error that scored Kessler. Ben Hudson followed with a two-run single.
An inning later, Geddes ripped a single that brought home Kessler, who had reached on an error.
It was a super finish by a superstitious, yet super team. One PIAA championship was nice in itself, but Bethel Park’s six seniors ended their high school careers with back-to-back titles.
“It feels amazing,” Kessler said. “It very rarely happens. I wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else but this team. I love these guys. Some of them I’ve been playing with for 10-plus years, and it just means so much to me because they hold a big part of my heart.”
Brad Everett: beverett@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BREAL412.
First Published: June 17, 2022, 10:51 p.m.
Updated: June 18, 2022, 1:15 a.m.