Butler’s Nolan Stefaniak shines in front of MLB scouts’ radar guns, downs North Allegheny
BUTLER TWP — When Nolan Stefaniak stood on the Pullman Park pitcher’s mound Wednesday, several radar guns stared back at him.
“It’s a privilege to have that every single day when I pitch,” said Stefaniak, a Butler senior right-hander. “It’s kinda just started to become normal at this point. It’s just a lot of fun just trying to win baseball games and having that in play.”
In front of about a dozen MLB scouts, Stefaniak spun six innings of shutout, one-hit baseball before junior Ryan Rattigan relieved him in the seventh and stranded two runners in scoring position, stamping a 1-0 win over WPIAL Section 1-6A foe North Allegheny.
The Tigers (3-3, 0-1) had swept Butler each of the past two seasons.
“It’s just really cool to soak in the moment because that’s what we’re living in right now,” Golden Tornado coach Josh Forbes said afterward. “(We’re) just living in the moment, and letting those guys play free and easy while keeping them distracted from all the guns behind and all the video cameras. Just letting them play high school baseball.
“After this year, everything gets a little more serious. ... We’re talking about, these guys are gonna go, and if they get drafted, they’re going to train, they’re going to eat and they’re going to sleep baseball — and that’s all they’ll do.”
There are signs Stefaniak, who notched nine strikeouts on the day, and fellow Golden Tornado senior pitcher Kyle Casteel have a legitimate shot at hearing their names called in this summer’s MLB draft.
“Wouldn’t be here if there wasn’t,” said one scout who was granted anonymity to comment on Butler’s prospects.
“There’s a lot of guys here to watch them, so there’s obviously interest,” a scout from an American League club said.
The only knock Stefaniak allowed was a hard-hit, two-out single by Ben Kowger that glanced off Rattigan’s glove at first base. Stefaniak ensured it was innocuous by punching out Jake Fritz shortly after, ending the top half of the third.
Kowger had reached second on an error to get things rolling in the fifth, then was moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. Carter Boehm bounced one back at Stefaniak, who froze Kowger on the basepath and flipped it to senior catcher Mavrik Clement, who slapped a tag on him for a run-preventing fielder’s choice.
“I tried to make him go back to third base — it was kind of a bad read, I won’t lie,” Stefaniak said. “But I just got him stuck in the right position and just got the out. It was huge for us.”
One scout nodded in approval at the defensive display.
In the bottom of the second, Butler (6-2, 3-1) senior shortstop Boden Lenyk pushed sophomore center fielder Karsten Lenyk across on a two-out single through the left side of the infield. The latter Lenyk initially reached on a one-out walk, and junior left fielder Nash Cuffman helped him to second with a well-placed, two-out bunt single.
“We scored one run,” Stefaniak said. “It’s all we needed. I was happy with my performance. I wish I could go deeper, but Rattigan really just kinda closed it out.”
Mason Dratfinsky drew a five-pitch walk to lead off the seventh, then Stefaniak plunked Kowger. Rattigan struck out two in a row before inducing a game-ending ground out.
The section series resumes Thursday at North Allegheny.
“We have Kyle going tomorrow, so it’s like, ‘We can win another one-run ballgame,’” Stefaniak said.
“It’s nice. I’ll be blunt with that,” Forbes said. “It’s super nice to be able to roll the ball out there and be like, ‘Alright, we have a chance to win this baseball game because Kyle or Nolan’s pitching.’ And winning that one-run baseball game is a huge monkey off our back.”
North Allegheny 000 000 0 — 0 1 0
Butler 010 000 x — 1 3 1
WP: Nolan Stefaniak 6IP (9K, 3BB). LP: Liam Cooper 3.2IP (5K, 4BB)
North Allegheny (3-3, 0-1): Ben Kowger 1B
Butler (6-2, 3-1): Boden Lenyk 1B RBI, Mavrik Clement 1B, Nash Cuffman 1B, Karsten Lenyk R
Thursday: Butler at North Allegheny
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Butler defeated North Allegheny 1-0 in a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler defeated North Allegheny 1-0 in a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler defeated North Allegheny 1-0 in a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler’s Nolan Stefaniak pitches against North Allegheny in a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler defeated North Allegheny 1-0 in a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler defeated North Allegheny 1-0 in a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler defeated North Allegheny 1-0 in a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler’s Mavrik Clement (5) touches first base after a failed pickoff in a baseball game against North Allegheny Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler defeated North Allegheny 1-0 in a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler defeated North Allegheny 1-0 in a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler defeated North Allegheny 1-0 in a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler defeated North Allegheny 1-0 in a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler defeated North Allegheny 1-0 in a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler defeated North Allegheny 1-0 in a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler defeated North Allegheny 1-0 in a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler’s Nolan Stefaniak attempts a pickoff at first base in a baseball game against North Allegheny Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler’s Jake Szebalskie (12) runs to first base during a baseball game against North Allegheny Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler defeated North Allegheny 1-0 in a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler defeated North Allegheny 1-0 in a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler defeated North Allegheny 1-0 in a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler catcher Mavrik Clement tags out a North Allegheny runner at home plate during a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler defeated North Allegheny 1-0 in a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler defeated North Allegheny 1-0 in a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler defeated North Allegheny 1-0 in a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler pitcher Ryan Rattigan (34) celebrates after a 1-0 win against North Allegheny during a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler pitcher Ryan Rattigan (34) celebrates after a 1-0 win against North Allegheny during a baseball game Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Pullman Park. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
