Mar 14, 2016 5 min read

Tim Bruzdewicz talks like a former baseball player ready to be a head coach at the WPIAL’s highest level. A fast talker who values the history of the game, Bruzdewicz quotes legendary players such as Yogi Berra and emphasizes the importance of a mental approach to the sport.

Though it’s been more than two decades since he pitched in the minor leagues, Bruzdewicz still thinks like a pitcher. Bruzdewicz, a draft pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in 1988, values a strong defense and an offense that can produce runs.

When he was hired as Canon-McMillan’s head coach in August, the former two-time NCAA Division III All-American pitcher wanted to revitalize an offense that scored three or fewer runs in five of its seven losses last season.

So he tried a new approach to getting his offense ready for next Thursday’s season opener against Allderdice. Instead of having his hitters practice in a cage, he had them face the Big Macs’ talented and deep pitching rotation in preseason workouts.

“I think that really helped,” Bruzdewicz said. “Even though our hitters are going against their buddies, it’s a competition between the hitters and the pitchers. It really worked out well. We’re getting our pitchers, catchers and hitters work. We already have a bunch of live at-bats.”

With the Big Macs’ pitching rotation and a defense that features a strong middle infield with senior shortstop Connor Coleman and sophomore second baseman Nick Serafino, Bruzdewicz believes a strong offense could lift the program into the elite in WPIAL Class AAAA.

It will help having a power-hitting senior in the middle of the order. Catcher Tanner Piechnick, an Ohio University recruit, was selected first-team All-Section 5-AAAA last spring. The Big Macs did lose outfielder Jared Beach and three other starters, but there is plenty of offense back this spring.

Serafino returns after hitting .380 last season and will probably bat second behind Coleman.

“There are some key pieces coming back for sure and I like the fact that there are some young kids as well,” Bruzdewicz said. “We have the sort of mixed bag of veterans who have played in big games, as well as some youngsters who have some serious talent. We have a nice mix right now.”

As it was last season, the Big Macs’ foundation is on the mound and it will have five options to start. The staff will be led by senior Matt Mish, a crafty right hander who was selected second team all-section after finishing with a 4-2 record and a 2.66 ERA.

He’ll be followed by sophomore Zach Rohaley, who was the Big Macs’ closer last season, senior Austin Berger, and sophomore Ian Hess. Bruzdewicz is experimenting with Piechnick as his closer.

Pitching and defense will be paramount in a section that features perennial powers Mt. Lebanon, Peters Township and Bethel Park. The staff will have a pretty good mentor to learn from and coaching is nothing new to Bruzdewicz.

He coached the pitchers and defense for West Allegheny the past five seasons, including a WPIAL Class AAA championship and a title game appearance last spring.

Live batting practice is one teaching point he’s carried over to Canon-McMillan with the goal of fostering the same competitive spirit that helped him play at a high level.

“The competitiveness in myself has already factored into the team,” Bruzdewicz said. “They already had that hard-nosed attitude before I got here. It was just about directing it the right way. The other thing I bring to baseball is done from above the neck. They’re finally realizing that the mental game is as important as the physical part.”

Canon-McMillan reached the WPIAL Class AAAA playoffs the last three seasons under former head coach Frank Zebrasky, including a 4-1 first-round loss to Shaler, which advanced to the PIAA semifinals, last spring.

The Big Macs have annually produced college recruits and won a PIAA Class AAAA championship in 2008, but Bruzdewicz’s plan is to build Canon-McMillan into one of the top programs in the WPIAL.

That will begin with managing lofty expectations for a team with plenty of talent and trying to turn those live batting practices into success at the plate.

“The expectations are going to be there regardless,” Bruzdewicz said. “It’s almost impossible for players this age to block that out. We want the standard to be higher. We want to raise the standard to the next level. The program has been pretty solid in years past, but we’re trying to take it further.”

Peters Township

The Indians missed the WPIAL playoffs for the third time in four seasons last spring, losing four of their final seven Section 5-AAAA games.

Peters Township struggled to find a deep pitching staff in 2015, allowing five or more runs in six of its nine losses. Outside of three seniors, including Phil Mary, the Indians’ pitching staff was inexperienced.

Junior Eric Riotto expected to be Peters Township’s top pitcher. Riotto made just seven appearances last spring and is one of three returning pitchers to appear in a game for the Indians in 2015.

Peters Township lost seven starters and 16 seniors, including Frank Jezioro of Slippery Rock and Ryan Tassone of George Mason. The offense will be led by junior outfield Tor Schnert, a Coastal Carolina recruit who batted .333 for PT last spring.