Jun 12, 2025 By Eleanor Bailey 4 min read

Bethel Park infielder Ryan Petras was one of two area players selected to play in the inaugural Pennsylvania High School All-Star Game, sponsored by the Pennsylvania State Baseball Coaches Association.

The game will have an East-West format and will be played at noon on June 22 at Penn State’s Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, which has been the site of the PIAA championships. Petras played there as a freshman when he helped the Black Hawks win a Class 5A crown in 2022.

As a sophomore, Petras moved from center field and started at shortstop, setting several school records in the process.

He became the all-time hits leader when he tagged two singles in a 6-3 loss to Shaler in the PIAA quarterfinals. His 113 hits eclipsed the mark of 112 set by Chris Buzzi in the 1980s.

Additionally, Petras holds two records for stolen bases. He finished with 80 career swipes. He also shattered his own single-season record with 27 steals this spring.

“Ryan leaves a legacy of how to work consistently whether you are finding success or failure in the immediate – it is not what you do in a day, it is what you do daily,” said BP manager Patrick Zehnder.

During his baseball career, Petras helped the Black Hawks win three section titles and two WPIAL runner-up trophies to go along with one state championship. He played a role in 74 victories in 98 games.

This spring, Petras led the team in hits (81), batting average (.444) and runs (30). He tagged eight doubles and one triple for a .568 slugging percentage. With 14 walks, he owned an on-base percentage of .526. BP’s lead-off hitter drove in 11 runs.

Though he had a scholarship offer to Northwestern to play baseball by his sophomore year, he gained recruiting attention for football as well. Princeton even agreed to let him compete in both football and baseball, but Petras eventually accepted an offer to play football at Duquesne University.

Petras was a two-time Greater Allegheny Conference Player of the Year and all-state selection in football.

As a junior, he had 51 receptions. A starter since his freshman year, he amassed 1,148 career yards rushing and 108 receptions. Despite missing seven games because of shoulder surgery, he had 30 catches for 500 yards and a 16.7-yard average last fall. He scored six touchdowns and added four extra points.

“Ryan has cemented his legacy as one of the greatest athletes to ever come through Bethel Park,” Zehnder said. “He is gifted athletically but he separates himself by the work he puts in that few people see, his mature mindset and competitive drive.

“He carried himself the same way on the baseball field as he did on the football field, which are two very different sports and emotional identities with grit, grace, determination, and a quiet intensity that is not seen a lot anymore.”

Zehnder, who teaches mathematics at the high school, noted Petras’s classroom demeanor and humility as assets that contribute to his success.

“I will also always remember how he treats others. If you see him in the hallway, you wouldn’t know he was the star player on two major sport teams,” Zehnder remarked. “He is smiling and treating others with respect regardless of their social status or deficits. He gets pulled in a lot of different directions with everything he is involved in, but still handles himself with dignity and poise – something that people twice his age would struggle with.”

Mandler selected

Eli Mandler from Upper St. Clair was also selected to play in the PSBCA all-star game.

Nominated by his coaches Jeff Donati and Mark Saghy, Mandler was enjoying a “tremendous season” before he suffered a stress fracture. The leg injury forced him to miss 10 games this spring.

Mandler batted .448 for the Panthers. He owned a .759 slugging percentage thanks to seven extra base hits. He scored eight runs and swiped eight bases.

Mandler will be continuing his baseball career at Seton Hill, where his two brothers, Max and Owen played.