Anyone who caught a Hopewell or Blackhawk high school baseball game this season more than likely saw seniors Joey Rock and Michael Turconi have an impact on the game in one way or another.
Both players excelled all season long. Rock was one of the most dominant pitchers in the area. The tall and lengthy southpaw accumulated a record of 9-2 while throwing 70.2 innings for the Vikings, striking out 110 batters and earning an ERA of 1.19. The Hopewell senior also contributed at the plate, hitting .276 with 21 hits, 16 RBIs and a home run.
He was at his best during the Vikings' Class 4A PIAA state playoff run. He started their first two games and only allowed four hits and one run while striking out a total of 22 batters in 13.2 innings.
Turconi was equally impressive. On the mound, he had a record of 5-1 while throwing 39.1 innings for the Cougars, striking out 70 batters and accumulating an ERA of 0.71. His only loss came in Blackhawk’s nine-inning defeat against Greensburg Salem in the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals.
And while the hard-throwing right-hander excelled on the mound for the Cougars, he was just as dangerous at the plate. In 49 at-bats, Turconi hit .571, which was just one of several Blackhawk records he broke in his high school career. He also drove in 24 runs this season with 28 hits and 19 runs to lead Blackhawk to a 14-0 record in Section 3 Class 4A play and an overall record of 16-2.
Because of their play all season long, Rock and Turconi have been named the Times' 2018 Co-Players of the Year.
This isn’t the first time that Turconi’s name has appeared above the rest in Beaver County, as the Blackhawk senior was last year’s Beaver County Times Player of the Year.
“It feels pretty good to be recognized,” Turconi said. “I mean two years in a row it definitely feels pretty good.”
Ever since he took the field at Blackhawk as a freshman, he’s had some type of impact and the record books show it. At the end of his senior season, Turconi found his name next to eight Blackhawk baseball records, solidifying his name as one of the best players to take the field at Chippewa Park.
“I mean he can do it all, he fields, he hits, he runs, pitches, he’s a great all-around player,” Blackhawk skipper Bob Amalia said.
While Amalia admired the athletic ability of his senior shortstop/pitcher, he also said Turconi brings a natural desire, passion and love for the game as well, which contributes to his success even more.
“He’s our best player, but he probably loves the game more than anyone else on the team,” Amalia said. “I mean, he’s got a batting cage in his back yard, and he just has a total passion and a love for the game.”
Turconi’s love and passion for the game won’t stop anytime soon. He’ll make his way to Winston-Salem, North Carolina in July, where he’ll continue his academic and athletic careers at Wake Forest University. He said the Demon Deacons plan to play him at shortstop, and with his early arrival onto campus, he’s looking to have an impact as soon as possible.
“I’m just looking to work as hard as I can to break into the starting lineup,” Turconi said.
Despite Turconi’s brilliant effort on the mound in the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals, the end of the Cougars' season came earlier than expected, but on the opposite side of the bracket and into the state tournament, the Hopewell Vikings jumped on the back of their stud ace pitcher.
In his first outing against Knoch, Rock wasn’t exactly on top of his game, as he allowed eight hits, two earned runs and two walks. But despite those numbers, he showed exactly why his team had such confidence in him.
“They had the bases loaded with nobody out, and he was able to work out of it for us,” Hopewell coach Mike Shuleski said of the key situation in the WPIAL quarterfinals. “Just that composure and confidence was huge for us.”
Confidence was one thing that Shuleski thought Rock brought to his team every game. It wasn’t necessarily Rock’s confidence in himself, but the confidence he gave to his team when he took the mound.
“Anytime you throw someone like Joey Rock, you know that you don’t have to play a perfect game behind him,” Shuleski said. “You know he is going to be able to make up for defensive mistakes, miscues, and you don’t have to be perfect at the plate because he is going to make up for a lot of the mistakes the team may have. So, that confidence is something that is pretty important.”
That confidence was a key part of Hopewell’s run to the PIAA quarterfinals, where it fell to eventual state champion Ringgold in five innings. Rock couldn’t pitch in that final game, but the big games leading up to the quarterfinals were where he excelled the most.
In their WPIAL consolation game against Greensburg-Salem, the same team that ousted Turconi and the Cougars, Rock threw a complete-game one-hitter while striking out seven and only walking two. Then in the first round of the PIAAs, Rock scattered three hits, only allowed one run and struck out 15 as they cruised into the next round with a 5-0 victory over Grove City.
“I just wanted to go out there throw strikes and attack hitters, just like any other game when I pitch,” Rock said. “But, I love to pitch in those big games and in tough situations where I know I can bear down and say to myself that my stuff is good enough to go out there and dominate.”
Rock dominated all throughout his career at Hopewell. He finished with a career ERA of 1.48, amassed a 21-7 record, threw 11 complete games, eight shutouts, one no-hitter and struck out a 252 batters in 198.1 innings. It was a thoroughly storied career for the hard-throwing left-hander, and he was just hoping that he left an impact in his three-year career on varsity.
“I just hope that throughout the years someone can look up to me, and I hope that I left mark in Hopewell history,” Rock said.
The Hopewell ace will continue his academic and athletic career at Ohio University in the fall where he hopes to break into the rotation as a weekend starter for the Bobcats.