Diamondbacks pitcher among Plum hall of fame honorees

By: Michael Love

Saturday, October 19, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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The Plum High School Sports Hall of Fame will induct its Class of 2024 on Thursday, Nov. 14, at Edgewood Country Club.

This year’s inductees are Scott Benzel (Class of 1993), Nolan Cressler (2012), Andrew DeFazio (1995), Richard Foutz (1970), Scott McGough (2008), Bill Rometo (1970), William Wilmore (1990), Ronit Yurovsky (2012) and the 1968 and 1969 WPIAL championship golf teams.

A reception will be at 5:30 with dinner to follow at 7. Tickets are $50 per person. A table for eight is $400. Checks can be written out to Plum High School Sports Hall of Fame and mailed to P.O. Box 114006, Pittsburgh, PA, 15239.

To reserve tickets or for more information, email [email protected].

This week, the Advance Leader will profile the first four of these inductees.

Scott McGough

Scott McGough enjoyed a standout high school career at Plum, most notably as a four-year starter for the Mustangs baseball team. The 2008 graduate helped Plum to 61 varsity victories over four years.

McGough’s play earned him recognition on all-section, all-WPIAL and all-state teams.

He played a key role in leading the Mustangs to three section championships and one WPIAL finals appearance.

McGough was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 48th round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft. He chose not to sign with the Bucs, instead opting to play college baseball at the University of Oregon.

His time in a Ducks uniform helped boost his draft prospects, and in 2011, he was selected in the fifth round by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He was traded in 2012 to the Miami Marlins organization and rose through its ranks to his major league debut in August 2015 against the Philadelphia Phillies.

McGough pitched in the Baltimore Orioles and Colorado Rockies organizations before a successful stint in Japan with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball.

During his time in Japan from 2019-2022, he became a key reliever, recording 80 saves and helping the Swallows win two straight Central League championships.

McGough returned to Major League Baseball in 2023 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and quickly made an impact, earning his first major league save in April of that year.

With his splitter as his signature pitch, McGough finished the season with 86 strikeouts over 70.1 innings.

He also represented the U.S. National Team in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and helped the team take home silver.

Bill Rometo

Rometo graduated from Plum in 1970. He played football, basketball and volleyball and also took part in track and field.

He was captain of the basketball team and co-captain of the football team as a senior.

After his time at Plum, Rometo attended Slippery Rock University and received his degree in health and physical education. He taught at Plum in that capacity for 37 years.

He began his football coaching career as an assistant in 1975. He ascended to head coach of the Mustangs in 1989 and served 20 years in the position.

In all, his coaching career spanned 42 years at both Plum and Riverview.

Rometo’s coaching accomplishments were many.

He was on the staff that helped Plum win the 1983 WPIAL Quad-A championship.

Rometo earned a regional media coach-of-the-year award in 1989 and also was the Gateway Newspapers Coach of the Year that season.

Additional recognition came in the form of the 1995 Eastern Area Officials and Pittsburgh Steelers Head Football Coach of the Year and the NFL and Pittsburgh Steelers High School Football Head Coach of the Week during the 1996 season.

He served as one of the two head coaches for the Foothills Classic all-star game in 1999 and 2001.

Rometo received recognition for his coaching and athletic accomplishments with induction into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, East Boros Chapter, in 2009.

He is one of only two head coaches in the history of Plum football to make the playoffs three years in a row.

One of the biggest wins of Rometo’s career came in 1996 when he helped guide the Mustangs to a WPIAL playoff victory over Penn Hills, the No. 1-ranked team in the country at the time.

He holds the record for most coaching victories in the history of Plum football.

Bill and his wife Maryann reside in Plum.

Richard Foutz

Foutz, a 1970 Plum graduate, made a lasting impact on his alma mater through a bevy of golf achievements.

He captured the 1969 WPIAL individual golf championship and also helped the Mustangs win WPIAL team titles in 1968 and 1969.

As a senior, Foutz was named Plum’s athlete of the year in recognition of his skill, dedication and leadership on and off the course.

He was a forerunner for many of the successful Plum golf individuals and teams over the years.

That includes this fall as the Mustang boys qualified for and competed in the WPIAL team finals, and senior Wes Lorish punched his ticket to the PIAA individual tournament for the third time.

Andy DeFazio

The 1995 Plum graduate played varsity football, baseball and basketball.

He was a baseball starter in center field all four years. As a senior, he hit .424, scored 29 runs and stole 19 bases while leading the Mustangs to the section championship.

DeFazio was named to the all-section and All-East teams that season.

He also was selected by MLB scouts to play for the American Legion PA All-West all-star team in 1993, 1994 and 1995. The team advanced to the East-West Game in 1994 and 1995.

On the football field, DeFazio played defensive back, tailback and wide receiver.

A three-year defensive starter, he was named to several area all-star teams in both his junior and senior seasons.

He was nominated for the Wendy’s High School Heisman Award as a senior.

DeFazio was scouted by MLB teams, but he was not ready to end his football career.

He received a dual scholarship to Duquesne University for both football and baseball.

A four-year collegiate letter winner, he excelled at defensive back in football and as an outfielder in baseball.

DeFazio was a member of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference football champion teams as a freshman and sophomore.

In his four seasons at Duquesne, his teams had a combined record of 35-8. The Dukes won the East Coast Athletic Conference Bowl in 1995.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in 1999, DeFazio began a 25-year sales career. Today, he owns and operates Primo Medical, LLC, a distributor of medical devices used for spinal surgery.

Andy, his wife, Meagan, and their three children live in North Huntingdon. He has continued his love of sports by serving as an area youth coach.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at [email protected].

Tags: Plum