Saturday, November 14, 2026
For years, Baldwin baseball coach Joe Marano saw something special in Colin Heyward. Marano had coached Colin alongside the boy’s father, Keith Heyward, since Colin was 4, watching him develop from a beginner learning the fundamentals into a talented, hardworking player.
As Colin grew, Marano became convinced that he had the talent to compete nationally. Familiar with Major League Baseball’s Pitch, Hit & Run competition from coaching his own son, Marano repeatedly urged Colin’s mother, Cami Heyward, to sign him up.
“Seeing how Colin was progressing, I told his parents that I think he has a chance to win that entire thing,” Marano said. “… He’s the complete package player.”
Cami was hesitant. Colin, 12, was already balancing a packed schedule of schoolwork and sports, including commitments to Baldwin Little League as well as two travel teams, the Baldwin-based Long Island Royals and Long Island Legacy 9, in which he played on both 13-and-under and 14-and-under teams.
But Marano refused to let the idea go. “He kept saying, ‘Sign Colin up for this — just go to the competition. He has a shot at winning this. He’s so good,’” Cami recalled. “And I kept saying, ‘we’re busy, we have this, we have that, we can’t do it.’ And then he kept pestering.”
Eventually, this spring, she registered Colin, who was finishing sixth grade at Baldwin Middle School. In May, when a scheduled game was canceled on the day of the Pitch, Hit & Run local event in Baldwin, the competition’s first stage, the family had a window to try out.
Colin won, beginning a journey that would take him from Baldwin to Citi Field and eventually to Milwaukee, where he became the national Pitch, Hit & Run champion in the 11-12 age division.
Presented by Firehouse Subs, a sandwich chain headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., Pitch, Hit & Run gives boys and girls ages 7 to 14 an opportunity to demonstrate their baseball and softball skills. Winners advance from local qualifiers to MLB team championships, with top performers earning spots in the national finals.
After his win in Baldwin, Colin competed at the Mets’ team championship at Citi Field on Aug. 29, taking first place in his age division for the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. When the scores were gathered from regional contests around the country, he tied for second place overall, earning a spot among five national finalists.
The finalists were invited to Milwaukee on an all-expenses-paid trip for a weekend of baseball festivities. Colin and his mom attended a World Series Game 1 viewing party at Dave & Busters on Oct. 23 with other Pitch, Hit & Run competitors, and then watched Game 2 at American Family Field the following night.
The competition took place on the morning of Oct. 25, and Colin came out on top in his age division.
“I had a great time in Milwaukee watching Game 2 of the World Series, meeting other kids and competing,” he said. “I’m very happy that I won.”
Colin’s favorite position is catcher, though he also pitches. As a batter, he focuses on making contact. “I feel happy if I get a good hit,” he said. “If I don’t get a good hit, I just tell myself to forget about it.”
His victory reinforced the importance of the people who have coached and supported him. “I’m glad that Coach Joe kept telling my mom to sign me up for PHR,” Colin said. “My dad and Coach Joe coached me for many years. I know he believes in me. I like Coach Joe.”
Marano’s support went beyond encouraging Colin to enter the competition. He watched him compete in the Mets championship at Citi Field, and tuned in to the official Pitch, Hit & Run livestream from home to cheer Colin on during the national competition.
“It’s fantastic to have people that believe in your kid,” Cami said. “It’s one thing to be a parent, to be proud and say that your child can do it. It’s another thing when there’s an outside party that says, ‘You gotta get this kid involved in something.’ It’s nice as a parent to have that.”
For Cami, watching her son progress from local baseball games to winning a national title has been a rewarding experience. “I feel privileged to watch him play baseball,” she said. “He’s an amazing kid, and it brings me such joy to see him succeed. We’re excited to see what he does next and into the future.”
Marano said he hoped Colin’s success would encourage other young Baldwin players to pursue similar opportunities. “The younger group of Baldwin Little Leaguers, they all look up to him,” Marano said. “Knowing that you could compete and get to what he’s doing now… kids will learn to put the hard work into it, because it could happen to them too.”
