Thursday, October 1, 2026
Baldwin’s baseball team is coming off a disappointing 4-11 season, but has already matched last year’s win total through its first eight games.
With a 4-2 conference record in AAA-2, the Bruins have won two series, recording two wins in each three-game set.
On March 27 and 31, Baldwin beat Westbury 10-1 and 10-0, while dropping the middle game on the 30th. On April 4 and 6, the Bruins beat Valley Stream Central 10-0 and 17-14 to clinch the series victory. Game two’s back-and-forth affair against Central ended with a walk-off three-run home run from senior left fielder Jacob Lopez.
“He [Jacob] and [Liam] Mugford are hitting the ball very well,” said Baldwin coach Frank Esposito. “So is [Camrin] Diaz. [Lopez, Mugford and Ryan Nuñez] are doing very well, hitting the ball. Those three men are the meat of the order for us right now. “They’re the guys getting the job done and getting the RBIs.”
Central got out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning April 6, until the Bruins answered with four runs of their own. Baldwin tacked on three more in the second, but the Eagles exploded for a five-run inning.
Central answered Baldwin again in the fifth, regaining a two-run lead after the Bruins led 12-8 headed into the frame. With the ballgame knotted up at 14 apiece, headed to the bottom half of the seventh, Diaz, the junior third baseman, led off with a walk. Following a walk to senior catcher Nuñez and back-to-back strikeouts, Lopez stepped to the plate with the game in his hands and two outs. The rest is history.
Lopez finished the day two-for-four, a walk and recorded the clutchest hit of the afternoon to lift his team to victory. Nuñez and Mugford also recorded multi-hit days.
“We’re putting the ball in play and we’re being aggressive, but in the first series we were hesitant,” Esposito said. “We were taking that first and second strike sometimes instead of going after the ball. Now they’re starting to pound the ball a little bit more. Even when they’re making outs, they’re driving the ball.”
When it comes to the rotation, it's highlighted by Mugford. The two-way senior tossed a complete game no-hitter against Central on April 4, as the Bruins run-ruled their way to a 17-0 victory in six innings. Mugford recorded 10 strikeouts while surrendering just two walks.
Aside from the three senior captains, Lopez, Mugford, and Nuñez, the team is young. Eighth-grade second baseman Liam Heyward was described as a “ballplayer” by Esposito.
“I think they’re feeling each other out right now,” Esposito said. “[Heyward] is the new kid on the block. He’s going to be a real good [ballplayer] down the line. The three captains have taken him under their wings. Each game, he’s getting a little more confidence built up. They’re all starting to gel.”
For the 27th-year coach, there’s a certain standard his program has to reach.
“When we get back from Christmas, we start our workouts in January,” Esposito said. “We start three to four nights per week and I asked a couple of other kids from the middle school to come work out with us and they all know the routine. They know what we have to do and we get it done. We try to keep it consistent.”
Consistency is key, as Baldwin looks to continue its strong start. It will be back in action on the road on Thursday against Feeport. First pitch is at 5 p.m.
