Bethel Park’s Ryan Petras, Eddie Cebula make early season impact

By: Ray Fisher
Saturday, April 20, 2024 | 11:01 AM

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Previous Next

Bethel Park athletes Ryan Petras and Eddie Cebula recently were cited as players of the week on back-to-back days in their respective sports.

Petras, on April 7, was named Trib HSSN baseball player of the week. A day later, Cebula was lauded as a Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association player of the week in Class 3A.

Petras plays shortstop or second base for the Black Hawks. He earned his early season accolade after punching out six hits, including two doubles, in seven at-bats in a two-game series with Upper St. Clair.

On the season, the 5-foot-10 Petras was hitting .500 with a .548 on-base percentage and 1.164 OPS. He had scored nine runs and had five stolen bases.

“Ryan has done a great job all season,” Bethel Park coach Pat Zehnder said. “He has not made an error in 34 chances, and he continues to be a spark plug for the offense.

“He has shown signs of hitting for power and also the willingness to lay down a bunt when the infield plays back, which only adds to the possible ways he can affect a game.”

Petras, also a team leader for the Bethel Park football program, will continue his baseball career at Northwestern in the Big Ten Conference.

“Ryan is one of the better athletes in the WPIAL in multiple sports,” Zehnder said. “To excel at multiple sports in the top two highest classifications is a testament to his elite work ethic, time management skills and refusal to be complacent with his current level of success. He is mature beyond his years, and has a great outlook on sports, school and life in general.

Bethel Park has won two PIAA baseball championships and two WPIAL runner-up trophies over the last three years.

Along with Petras, other key players for the Black Hawks this spring include junior pitcher Ryan Walsh, a Virginia Tech recruit, and senior Santino Diulus, a Seton Hill commit.

There are only four seniors on the 2024 club.

“We still have plenty of room for improvement, as most young teams do,” Zehnder said. “We need to be more consistent at the plate and put all three facets of the game together on a more regular basis. The wet weather so far has not helped.

“I am looking forward to some dry weeks to get into our outside practice routine and get more game-like reps for the guys. They have all done a great job so far keeping the intensity and energy high during practice, even when we are practicing indoors for the fourth consecutive day or so.”

The Black Hawks actually have a tie on their record this season and were 4-4-1 after nine games. They also were 3-2 in Section 2-5A.

“We are going to be a much better team in May than we are in April and were in March,” Zehnder said. “The chemistry and cohesiveness of the team continues to blossom, and I am extremely proud of the leaders of our team and everyone from top to bottom for finding ways to be a net positive regardless of role or performance.”

While Petras has committed to play baseball at Northwestern, he has received offers from some Ivy League schools to play college football. He led Bethel Park in receiving and scoring and was second in rushing this past fall.

Turning to Bethel Park boys volleyball, the 6-2 Cebula, a senior outside hitter, was one of three returning starters for the Black Hawks this season, along with seniors John Gasiorowski at setter and Josh Lubawy at libero. All three were section all-stars in 2023.

“I expected them to elevate their games from a year ago, along with a group of others who have earned starting varsity roles,” coach Adam Thomas said.

Thomas wasn’t surprised about Cebula’s early season honor.

“Eddie is one of the strongest players we have at Bethel Park and he is a large reason for our early success,” the coach said. “Eddie can play the entire court and can make a play after a breakdown on the court.

“When crunch time arrives, Eddie wants the ball and doesn’t shy away from the lights. Also, he does a fantastic job bringing a calmness to the team. Whether we are losing a close match or are up big, Eddie does a great job of keeping his teammates in check and focused.”

Notable newcomers to the Bethel Park lineup this year include Ryan Burns, a sophomore right-side/outside hitter, and Jacob Meyer, junior outside hitter.

Other players looking to make contributions in 2024 include middle blocker Will Eliopoulos and middle/right-side hitter Colton Gregg, who are in the starting rotation; middle blockers Paul Digbeu and Dan Eckert; outside hitter Tommy Bova; and right-side hitters Arpan Gurung, Brennan Frazier and Matt Gerber.

All are seniors except Gerber, who also can play at the setter position, and Gregg. Both are juniors. Digbeu, at 6-6, is the team’s tallest player.

The Black Hawks’ starting rotation typically includes Cebula, Gasiorowski, Eliopoulos, Lubawy, Meyer, Burns and Gregg.

Tags: Bethel Park