Penn State Greater Allegheny baseball coach Jim Chester is excited about a new addition to his team, one that is doubly powerful.

Recent Hopewell High School graduate Scott Dierdorf, a third baseman and right-handed pitcher, committed to play baseball at the McKeesport campus not long after leading the Vikings to the WPIAL Class AAA championship and being named the Post-Gazette's All-Area Co-Player of the Year along with Pine-Richland's Matt Berezo.

"He's a top-flight pitcher, there's no doubt about that," Chester said. "Every time I went out to see him, he threw 87-89 [mph], and he throws the ball where he wants, which is the way to dominate as a power guy.

"And he also hits the baseball with power. He is the prototypical player for our program. Our program relies on power pitching and power hitting.

"All the guys in our lineup have double-digit home run capability, and all our pitchers are power pitchers, and that's what we believe we have in him. And how much better is it to have it both in one person?"

Dierdorf had a season to remember at Hopewell, going 13-0, striking out 111 batters in 83 innings, hitting .491 in the regular season with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs overall, including playoffs.

His pitching wins, strikeouts and RBIs were among the leaders in the WPIAL.

"He led the team in everything possible," longtime Hopewell coach Joe Colella said. "He was, in fact, probably of all the players I've had, he's been the most productive offensively and ... as a pitcher. I can't say enough about how productive he's been."

Chester and Penn State Greater Allegheny are happy to add that sort of production at the plate and on the mound because the team had a hole to fill when Mike Jackson graduated.

Jackson, who led the team in innings pitched, strikeouts and wins this past season, signed to play professionally with the Florence Freedom of the independent Frontier League. That's the same league in which the Washington Wild Things compete.

Chester believes he has a player of Jackson's caliber in Dierdorf.

"Scott is going to be an immediate impact guy for our program," Chester said. "We are very, very lucky to get a player of his caliber to join our program next year.

"My biggest concern in the offseason was replacing Mike Jackson's innings, and with Scott, we may have upgraded. I was really worried about how to replace someone of that caliber at this level, and we found it."

Dierdorf said he also considered La Roche College.

"It came down to those two schools, and I decided to go to [Penn State Greater Allegheny] because I liked the coach better and I liked the school," said Dierdorf, who will be roommates in college with former Montour standout Tyler Amrhein.

Chester said he plans to have Dierdorf join the everyday lineup and pitching rotation immediately.

"I'm looking forward to it," Dierdorf said.

"He's a phenomenal young man who comes from a phenomenal family," Chester said. "He's a quieter young man, but he turns into a whole different person when he plays baseball, which is what we love."

Dierdorf was one of the reasons Hopewell was so successful at the high school level this past season. The Vikings went 23-2, winning their first 18 games before bowing out of the PIAA tournament in the quarterfinals.

This summer, Dierdorf has helped the Hopewell American Legion team, also coached by Colella, to the Region 6 championship. Hopewell defeated Shaler, 10-0, in the title game at the Community College of Allegheny County Boyce Campus in Plum. Hopewell advances to the American Legion state tournament in Boyertown.

Colella called Dierdorf "a winner."

"He certainly has the talent to be successful in college," he added. "He's been outstanding for me and for this team, and I'm wishing the best for him. I can't say enough about him."

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