CCAC Boyce baseball program on upward trajectory after strong comeback season

Larry Bielawski was happily working for a rug company in the Strip District when he saw a poster advertising CCAC. Seeing a chance to pick up some skills in music production, Bielawski decided to go back to school while working.

Despite not playing baseball since 2018 in the OVDL Summer League outside Steubenville, Ohio, Bielawski decided to play for the CCAC Boyce squad. Bielawski was able to pick things up quickly, batting .404 with three home runs and 35 RBIs to earn third team all-American honors at the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II level.

Bielawski, who is originally from Mt. Lebanon but graduated from a high school in Ohio, was the first player from the school to win those honors in two decades.

“It wasn’t something I strived for,” said Bielawski, who is a Dormont resident. “I worked hard to be able to play again. I had my struggles during the year, but I had great teammates who helped me adjust and picked me up.”

Following two seasons off because of the covid-19 pandemic, CCAC Boyce produced a strong comeback season. The Panthers won the Region XX title and finished with an 18-10 record. CCAC Boyce finished one step short of the NJCAA World Series. The Panthers lost two games to eventual district champ Caldwell (N.Y.) Tech in late May to bow out of the tournament.

In a season hampered by rain delays and attrition on the roster — which is commonplace at the junior college level — CCAC coach Bill Spina was pleased with how his team persevered.

“With only 17 guys, we had a historic season,” Spina said. “It was the first time we won the region and played in the district tournament. The guys play for each other because it’s more than just a team. It’s a family.”

CCAC was able to have such a strong season thanks to a powerful offense. The Panthers put up 11.5 runs per game. As a team, CCAC was 15th in the country in batting average, 18th in on-base percentage and 20th in runs scored.

Tanner Schmitt hit .385 and was in the top 25 in the country in stolen bases. Abel Adorno (.379), Andrew Sopata (.359), Alejandro Dasta (.354), Ray Santiago (.351), Brandon Snyder (.347) and Derek Colon (.318) also hit over .300.

Putting up big numbers at the plate wasn’t something Bielawski felt came easy.

“The competition is super tough,” Bielawski said. “I had to work on discipline. I had to work through doubting myself. I chased a lot of pitches at times. My teammates helped give me confidence.”

Santiago, who used his last year of eligibility, will stick around to help Spina with recruiting. Spina believes he will have 12 players returning and 25 new players coming into the program next year.

He believes the program is on an upward trajectory and will be battling for a spot in the NJCAA World Series in future seasons.

“We are in the midst of something special,” Spina said. “Although recruiting never ends, we have players reaching out to us to play. That speaks volumes.”