Highlands grad Trent Bielak puts his mind at ease, pitchers on notice as he hopes to lead Pitt-Bradford to baseball postseason

Trent Bielak went nearly 120 at-bats before his first collegiate home run. Bielak, a Highlands grad and junior at Pitt-Bradford, finally hit one March 6 in the Panthers’ win at Elmira.

In the top of the third, with one out and Max Rogers on base after a single, Bielak launched a ball to left-center field for a two-run shot and a 5-2 UPB lead.

“I haven’t hit too many in my life,” he said. “I hit a few in my summer games, and I got one in the fall, so it was finally good to get one of those first, official collegiate ones.”

Now Bielak can’t stop hitting homers. A little more than two weeks later, he homered in back-to-back games against Thiel, with his two-run shot in the second game capping a 7-2 Panthers victory.

But Bielak’s calling card isn’t the long ball. He is more interested in making solid contact, and if the ball goes over the fence, so be it.

“I could do everything right at the plate and hit a line drive right at somebody,” Bielak said, “so I think the most important part for me is setting goals on things I can control, like the process. Did I do my best at the plate? Did I swing at my pitch? Was my timing there?”

That mindset is something Bielak has worked hard to cultivate during his time at Pitt-Bradford. He said he had a tendency to overthink things in the batter’s box early in his career, becoming so hyper focused on his mechanics that he failed to give the incoming pitch the attention it needed.

So Bielak set out to quiet his mind. He accomplished that through meditation and breathing exercises, and the results are showing.

Pitt-Bradford entered the weekend at 10-6, just two short of last season’s win total. Bielak has been front-and-center in the offensive attack, hitting .327 with three homers and 10 RBIs.

His home runs haven’t been the only highlights. He had two hits and scored three times in a win over Bethany. He drove in three runs against Lancaster Bible, and, in the next game against the same opponent, he scored three times. In a victory over Waynesburg he scored four times, part of his team-leading 20 runs.

It’s a marked improvement over his second season at UPB, when he was solid if unspectacular. He hit .282 with 16 RBIs and nine runs.

The production he has shown this season is what ninth-year coach Zach Foster expected from Bielak.

“I think, first and foremost Trent, it’s a willingness to learn and the willingness to put in the work,” Foster said. “He’s like a sponge. He asks the right questions.

“We knew he had huge upside when he came in.”

But Bielak pulls double duty for the Panthers, also serving as a pitcher. Over his first two seasons, he made 13 appearances, including three starts, and earned a save during his freshman season.

Foster has used him for spot starts as well as in a relief role. He has made only one appearance this season, but Bielak is happy to be pitching at all.

Not only did he have to work on getting his mind right. He also had to get his body right after suffering a torn labrum in his right (throwing) shoulder in April 2023.

Surgery followed that August, and it was a full year before Bielak was able to pitch again.

For the most part, however, he will be stationed at first base or in right field and using his glove and his bat to help the Panthers win ballgames. And for as much success as he has had this season, Bielak, Foster said, still has room to grow.

“We saw signs of it his sophomore year, and now we’re seeing it to full effect,” Foster said. “And I think there’s still more in there. I think there’s a lot more we can get out of Trent.

“And the one thing with him is he’s super self-motivated. He doesn’t rely on a coach to hold his hand and get him there. He knows what to do.”

Something Bielak is trying to do more of is be a leader for the team. The Panthers are a relatively veteran group, heavy on juniors and seniors, so Bielak doesn’t need to walk around shouting and making a scene.

For the most part, he lets his actions do the talking.

“I just go about it by doing my daily work,” he said, “setting an example for the other guys so they can see the work that it takes to be successful. And I also believe that if I’m going to preach hard work, that I need to follow that as well.”

Bielak and the Panthers are hoping they can work their way into the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference postseason. UPB hasn’t made the conference tournament since 2018 and was picked to finish last in the nine-team AMCC in the preseason poll.

With conference play just underway, there is plenty of time for the Panthers to make their mark. Bielak said he believes this team, through a shared bond and shared faith, can prove all the doubters wrong.

“I love this team,” he said. “I think it’s definitely the closest-knit team we’ve had in my experience here at the university.”