Bertolini guides Mercyhurst NE to title

Staff report

ERIE, PA.

Poland High graduate Dan Bertolini led the Mercyhurst North East Saints to a 14-3 record this fall and a Western New York Athletic Conference regular-season crown.

The Saints finished runner-up in the WNYAC Tournament and for the second straight season appeared in the Final Four. His 73 career wins surpassed Saints former head coach Ryan Smith’s mark of 63 and put Bertolini first in career wins.

At age 22, Bertolini took the reins of the Mercyhurst program and hasn’t looked back. In his fourth season as head coach, the Poland native has seen his Saints finish runner-up in the Region III tournament last spring and the WNYAC Tournament this fall.

“Our program has made great strides in the past four years and I think it a testament to how hard our players have worked,” Bertolini said. “We are not where we need to be, but we are moving in the right direction.”

Bertolini has been able to get some local players to help his cause. Former Astro Falcons Shane Wagner (Wilmington) and Wyatt Montgomery (Mohawk) played for the Saints this fall.

Wagner lead all of the WNYAC in hitting and RBI, batting .490 with 19 RBIs in 17 games.

Montgomery led the conference in home runs with three and had 13 RBIs.

John McCormick (Shenango), who was a former Class B player with Dave Sugar Excavating, hit .289 and stole six bases.

Former Sharon High School standout Zac Anderson posted a team best 1.02 earned-run average in a team high eight appearances. He led the conference in saves with three.

The 14-3 mark shattered the previous record of 8-9 set back in 1999 by Pat Cutshall. This was the first time that Mercyhurst had a winning record for the fall and the first regular-season crown.