Zach Hare was so dominant in the postseason that it seemed strange when he finally gave up his first hit.
“It was weird,” Riverside teammate Christian Lucarelli said.
Hare fired 34 consecutive hitless in the playoffs, which is believed to be a national record. And his postseason excellence played a large part in the Panthers winning WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A titles.
But this Hare was a cut above the rest all season long, as the 6-foot-3 senior right-hander dazzled not only on the mound but also at the plate as one of Riverside’s top hitters.
For his efforts this season, Hare has been selected as the Pittsburgh Union Progress baseball Player of the Year. All players in the WPIAL and City League were considered, and the honor was picked by the PUP sports staff.
Hare was a bear for opposing hitters to face, going 10-0 with a 0.68 ERA. In 72⅓ innings, Hare struck out 138 while giving up only 10 runs (7 earned), 16 hits and 18 walks. Opponents hit just .068 against him and had an on-base percentage of only .148.
Longtime Riverside coach Dan Oliastro said Hare took his play to another level in the postseason, and there’s no arguing that assessment. In six playoff appearances across 37⅔ innings, Hare went 5-0 and 66 strikeouts and gave up only two hits — yes, two! Hare became the first player to throw a perfect game in a WPIAL championship and fired a no-hitter in the PIAA quarterfinals.
Hare, who teamed with Lucarelli to give Riverside one of the top pitching tandems in the state, didn’t give up his first hit of the playoffs until there were two outs in the third inning of the PIAA championship, a game in which Hare got the win after surrendering two unearned runs and two hits while striking out 11 in 6⅓ innings.
A Slippery Rock recruit, Hare had quite a few knocks at the plate, too. He batted .405 with 18 runs scored and was Riverside’s leader with 4 home runs and 26 RBIs.
Hare’s outstanding play came after a junior season that saw him go 9-1 with a 0.95 ERA. Hare, who also helped Riverside win WPIAL and PIAA titles in 2023 when the Panthers went unbeaten, finished his career with a record of 21-1. In 123⅓ innings, Hare struck out 237 while allowing only 13 earned runs and 41 hits. He also had a career batting average of .438.
Q: Coach Oliastro may be 81, but he has quite a bit of energy, doesn’t he?
A: It’s unreal. He’ll be doing field maintenance all by himself. We can see it from the classroom. We’d be in English class, sitting there cracking up as Coach O is pushing the entire pitching machine to the baseball field all by himself.
Q: One thing you learned from Coach Oliastro?
A: The biggest thing he preached all four years was bunting. We would all just laugh at it. And wouldn’t you know, we ending up winning the whole state off of suicide squeezes. Small ball wins games.
Q: Favorite moment from the season?
A: Definitely winning states and winning gold at WPIALs, too. Those two games by far. There’s nothing better.
Q: What was it like going through the consecutive hitless streak?
A: That was actually crazy, and I’m still kind of shocked by it. I’m beyond grateful that I was able to set a national playoff record. It doesn’t feel real to me. There are kids in California, Florida and other places who are insane pitchers and work very hard. To think I broke that record, that’s crazy to me, and I’m beyond grateful.
Q: Any superstitions when you pitch?
A: I try to stick with the same routine every game and not switch it up. One thing is beef jerky. My mom brought me beef jerky to a game when I was young, and I had one of the best games of my life. She’s been doing it since sixth grade. And beef jerky isn’t cheap. My mom said she could have my college paid by now with what she’s spent. I eat it an hour or so before every game, and my teammates try to steal it off me.
Q: Best player you played against this season?
A: When we played South Park [in the WPIAL semifinals], we were focused the whole week on hitting their lefty, and [Cooper] Hochendoner went out and carved us up. It was filthy. He struck out a lot of players, and he had a good bat, too.
Q: Favorite Pirates player?
A: It’s got to be Paul Skenes.
Q: If you could ask Paul Skenes anything, what would it be?
A: I’d ask him to give me his arm care routine and anything else he does [to prepare]. His lifting and throwing routines, I want every single one of them.
Q: MLB player you would most like to face?
A: [Shohei] Ohtani because it would be nuts to strike him out. From my first year of travel ball, I’ve worn [No.] 27 since that’s Mike Trout’s number. He’s just such a good role model. To say I played with him would be cool.
Q: TV show or movie you recommend people watch?
A: Not the Pirates game. That’s for sure. I’ll say “Cops.” I think it’s the funniest show ever.
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.