Of the 25 innings Bellefonte’s Zach Lehman and Carsen Henry pitched throughout their four-game postseason run, 22 were scoreless, as the Red Raiders surrendered five combined runs within that span. Obviously, a trustworthy field plays a role there, but it can only do so much while a pitcher is struggling.

Lehman took a strong sophomore campaign where he logged a 3.04 ERA and built on it, becoming the first Red Raider in over a decade to toss 100 strikeouts in a season and finishing with an ERA of 1.75. 29 of his 107 strikeouts on the season came within postseason play, as he shut out Juniata, shut down Elizabeth Forward and allowed one hit through three innings against Obama Academy.

“He earned his 100th strikeout on the season, which is kind of a big deal in high school baseball,” said Bellefonte manager Jon Clark when discussing Lehman’s start against Elizabeth Forward on Monday.

“He had a really strong performance on the mound, and even he said, ‘I missed some pitches.’ That’s what I love about Zach. Even when he’s successful, he’s super competitive, not just with the opponent but with himself.”

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bellefonte’s Zach Lehman (30) throws the ball to a teammate during an earlier win against Westmont Hilltop. Lehman finished his junior seasons with a 1.75 ERA and 107 strikeouts.

With standout pitcher Peyton Vancas graduating after last season, Lehman took on a bigger role as a junior, surpassing last year’s innings pitched by 22. But when unavailable, Bellefonte was able to remain assured, with two other starting-caliber pitchers in its bullpen to choose from in Henry and junior Triston Heeman.

After operating as more of a reliever in 2025, logging a 5.53 ERA and shaky strikeout-to-walk ratio, Henry improved considerably as a senior, and that showed not only on the field, but also in his coaching staff’s trust in him. He went from pitching just 19 innings as a junior to over 47 in his senior season, starting two postseason games and appearing in three.

“We have a lot of confidence in Carsen,” said Clark on Henry. “He’s pitched really big games for us, and we just want to keep working with him.”

Through those 47 1/3 innings pitched, Henry knocked his previous ERA down by over four whole numbers.

He led the Red Raiders with a 1.33 ERA while striking out 47 to 18 walks. He surrendered just eight hits and two runs through 8 1/3 innings pitched in postseason, helping Bellefonte hold Archbishop Wood scoreless through the first four innings of Thursday’s quarterfinal.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bellefonte’s Triston Heeman (34) throws the ball to a teammate during an earlier win against Westmont Hilltop. Heeman finished his junior season with a 2.01 ERA and 24 strikeouts.

“Usually, I like to watch other pitchers, just see their motion and where they release it at,” said Henry when discussing how he’s improved following an earlier win against Penns Valley.

Though Heeman didn’t make an appearance through postseason, there’s a good chance he would’ve taken the mound if the Red Raiders got further.

A setup like that coupled with an offense that can rack up runs is the perfect recipe for a state title run. And while it didn’t work out in the long run, it’s certainly been an impressive season for Bellefonte’s pitchers.

As a whole, the Red Raiders’ bull pen finished with a combined ERA of 1.99, and its defense surrendered less than three runs per game. I don’t imagine either of those stats, especially the former, have been replicated many times throughout Bellefonte, District 6 or PIAA history.