Back from injury, Jack Loughren helping Riverview baseball contend for section crown

By: Michael Love
Saturday, April 22, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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It was a long road to recovery for Riverview junior Jack Loughren.

The three-sport Raiders standout saw his football season come to an end Sept. 10 when he suffered a severely broken leg in a game against Northgate at River­side Park.

Surgery and several months of healing followed.

Loughren missed all but the final game of the basketball season.

“The last game was Feb. 10 against Jeannette, and I got cleared two days before,” he said. “I practiced those two days and got in the fourth quarter and made a couple of free throws. It was a pretty cool moment.”

The cool moments continued in preparation for his return to a full season on the baseball diamond. He carried a lot of positive momentum and energy to his Riverview teammates.

“I needed goals from there to do everything I could to at least not miss any time for baseball,” Loughren said. “I had my sights set on March 13, our first scrimmage. I achieved that goal and others of being able to play every game so far, but I am far from satisfied.”

Loughren said he is beyond happy to be healthy and on the field with his teammates so far as Riverview challenges for the highest standing possible in the section and a WPIAL playoff spot.

The second baseman hit .300 through his team’s first eight games with a pair of doubles, seven walks drawn, four runs batted in and eight runs scored.

“I feel great physically,” Loughren said. “My body feels as great as it ever has.”

Loughren said being prepared mentally was a process in and of itself.

“There were a couple mental roadblocks like sliding and even seeing pitches come in when I am hitting with my leg exposed like that. But the more I did those things with repetition, the better it got. The first day we were outside, I think I slid into a base maybe 10 times. It just wanted to get that worry out of my head.”

Now, his focus is on helping his team go as far as possible.

Riverview jumped out to a 5-0 record in section with sweeps of Brentwood and Apollo-­Ridge and a close 2-1 home victory over Serra Catholic on April 11.

A sacrifice fly off the bat of sophomore Johnny Bertucci in the sixth inning broke a 1-1 tie with the Eagles and sent the Raiders to victory.

Senior starter Enzo Lio allowed just the one run on three hits over 62/3 innings while striking out 11.

“I really felt good that day,” Lio said. “I didn’t worry about too many things. I just went out and pitched. It was a great team win all around. We hit the ball well and hit their ace pretty well. We also played pretty good defense.”

Senior Ben Hower came on to get the last out and earn the save.

Riverview totaled seven hits in the game with Lio, Bertucci and Luke Migely each having multi-hit games. Migely led the team in batting through eight games with a .565 average (13 for 23) with 10 RBIs and 10 runs scored.

“I like the way we have produced offensively,” Migely said. “There have been a couple of games where we could’ve done better, but I think everyone in our lineup is dangerous.”

Riverview hit a bump in the road at Serra in the second game of their series with a 12-0 setback.

“That game is in the past now, but everything in that game went wrong,” Migely said.

“Every team has those type of games. Those are the games that test how close a team is, and I think we responded from it well in practice.”

Riverview was slated to continue section play Monday and Tuesday with a doubleheader against Ligonier Valley, which fell to 5-3 in the section with a pair of setbacks to Serra Catholic on April 17 and 18.

The Raiders cap section play and their hopeful run to a playoff spot against Jeannette on May 1 and 2 and Greensburg Central Catholic on May 8 and 9.

Riverview, Serra and GCC entered this week tied for the section lead with 5-1 records.

The Raiders step away from section play Thursday (April 27) for a 3:45 game at Leechburg.

Riverview also matches up with Union on May 4.

“We lost to them in the title game two years ago and then in the second round last year,” Riverview coach Bill Gras said. “We wanted the seniors to get another crack at them. Union has another good team, and it will be a good test for us ahead of the playoffs.”

Middle school team shines

While the Riverview varsity baseball present is bright, the future seems to be pointing in the same direction.

The new 13-player Raiders middle school team fashioned a 5-2-1 record through eight games.

Most schools of Riverview’s size don’t have middle school teams, so the Raiders play a schedule with some bigger schools such as North Allegheny, Woodland Hills and Bethel Park.

The team, coach Brian Duncan said, is not yet recognized by the school as an official sport and is considered a club.

“These kids are on the field, playing and getting reps to prepare them for varsity,” Duncan said.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

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