Male Athlete of the Year: Evan Holewinski, Bethel Park
As a class project, Bethel Park middle school students pen letters to themselves and friends about the future. The missives are sealed and not opened or read until graduation day.
The correspondence between Evan Holewinski and John Chalus proved prophetic. The pitching ace predicted a state championship for his batterymate
“We all wrote letters back in seventh grade to each other. We wrote them to ourselves and we had the opportunity to share a letter to somebody else, one of your friends,” Holewinski explained. “A bunch of us on the team wrote to each other and we all guaranteed ourselves a state championship. That was cool to read them.”
Holewinski not only delivered one state championship but two PIAA titles for the Black Hawks. He pitched Bethel Park to back-to-back PIAA crowns in 2021 and 2022. He also batted the Black Hawks to two WPIAL championship finals, producing two runner-up trophies, the most recent in 2023.
“I am pretty proud of what I have done,” Holewinski said. “Definitely looking back on the past four years and knowing, not even having a freshman year (because of COVID-19) and accomplishing everything we did, even just as a team, it’s definitely cool and something that you dream of as a kid.”
When he started playing T-ball, Holewinski never imagined he would develop into the 2023 Observer-Reporter/Almanac Male Athlete of the Year as well as co-baseball MVP, but he knew he would make a difference on the diamond. Always a stalwart on the mound, this spring he blossomed into one of the most feared batters.
Holewinski batted .440 with a .506 on-base percentage and an .867 slugging percentage thanks to six doubles, one triple and eight homers. He drove in 38 and scored 15 runs. He broke the school’s single-season record for round trippers and his RBI total is believed to be a new school standard.
Holewinski smacked two grand slams this spring, the second in a 10-inning win against Mechanicsburg, 8-2, in the first round of the PIAA playoffs. The home run broke the school record.
“I found out about the home run record when we were on our way home from the game,” Holewinski said. “We were in Sheetz and Coach came up to me and said, ‘Oh, by the way, you broke the season home run record.’ and I was shocked. Coming into the season, hitting one last year and not hitting great my sophomore year, I didn’t think that was realistic for me to accomplish. But it was awesome.
“For it to be a grand slam was a nice little cherry on top. Definitely being in the situation I was in, the state playoffs, that is where we have been the most successful in the past, so that was pretty special.”
On the mound, he was 4-2 with 59 strikeouts in 58.33 innings and a 0.96 ERA. His first loss this season occurred in the WPIAL final when the Black Hawks committed a handful of errors that resulted in seven unearned runs. His second loss came in his final scholastic start against Monsignor Bonner.
Holewinski was not especially pleased with his performances on the mound this spring but was delighted in his hitting.
“It was a down year on the mound for me, but I think I had a better year at the plate than anything. What made me successful though was getting ahead of the hitters. That is what has worked in the past. Having good command of the zone and trusting my stuff.”
In the past, when he pitched, BP used a designated hitter in his spot in the lineup. Last spring, he played first base when not on the mound. This year, he played right field when he didn’t get the pitching call.
“Putting less pressure on myself and knowing that we had other guys behind me who could provide as well and also being an everyday hitter this year, constant reps and the consistency, was a huge key to my success at the plate,” Holewinski said.
For his career, Holewinski was responsible for many BP victories. This spring, the Black Hawks posted an 18-6 mark that included a section title, WPIAL runner-up trophy and a PIAA quarterfinal playoff appearance. In 2022, BP finished 21-4 and as state champions after Holewinski tossed a three-hit shutout, 5-0, against Selinsgrove on June 17 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on the Penn State University campus. The Hawks were 22-4 after a 4-2 victory against Red Land in the 2021 PIAA Class 5A final.
For his career, Holewinski had a 20-3 record with a 0.68 ERA. In 158 innings, he struck out 158 and walked only 29 batters. His career offensive stats include a .432 batting average with 46 RBI.
“Evan has meant so much to this program,” said BP coach Patrick Zehnder. “Further than the ridiculous stats he has put up over his career, the leadership, work ethic, and positivity he has displayed has set the standard for future Hawks”
Zehnder noted that if it were not for the COVID-cancelled season in 2020, Holewinski would have numerous career records. He also said that the school surely has not had a player put up the two-way numbers Holewinski did over the past three season.
However, his biggest impact was the example he set.
“The fact the younger players got to see how he practiced, played, and worked on his own in between those areas will help this program for years to come,” Zehnder predicted.