Friday, June 20, 2025
Bouncing back from a 3-13 record last year, West Hempstead baseball has regained winning form in 2025 and is intent on finishing the regular season strong.
Coach Ron Bauer said he is focused on nurturing a love for the sport first.
"There have been bumps and bruises, as every baseball season has, but right now we're 9-7," Bauer said. "The biggest thing is that we keep saying we want to compete, and every game has been pretty competitive."
Teams in the Countywide division don't compete in the playoffs, so the Rams' final three games will also serve as a sendoff to several valuable seniors. When Bauer began his coaching career at West Hempstead four years ago, many players who are now seniors began their high school careers alongside him.
Seniors like Bryan Tator and Kyle Johnson went from upstarts to team leaders while Bauer was still developing as a coach. Both players are now massive parts of the lineup; Tator bats second and Johnson is the cleanup hitter who also maintains a role as a starting pitcher.
"When they were freshmen, we kind of came into this four-year journey together," Bauer said. "We grew together, Since the beginning, we talked about building this program and make something special. Of course, everyone wants to be county champions, but it's more about building a program the right way."
Senior leadership doesn't always translate directly to the box score, and there are other contributors that Bauer will soon miss. Jacob Lopez is such a consistent winner of West Hempstead's Coach's Award that the Bauer said that he could easily name it after him.
Described as a "keystone" player, Lopez has earned the respect of his teammates and set a positive example, proving even more valuable off the field. He is one of several seniors who will soon leave the program in good hands.
Bauer said that West Hempstead's resurgence in the Countywide division runs through sophomore Timothy Pendergast, the Rams' ace pitcher who also bats third in the lineup. Pendergast is a rising star with two years remaining in the program, making him an immensely promising player moving forward regardless of his competition.
For a West Hempstead team that profoundly struggled last year, a hot start in 2025 remains a highlight among the players. As Bauer said, the seniors' ultimate goal was not to win a championship but leave the program better than they found it. In a 4-0 start to the regular season, the Rams earned more wins by April 10 than they did in all of 2024. They currently have a 9-7 record with three games left.
The head coach may simply be focused on fostering a love for baseball, but the stakes late in West Hempstead's regular season are straightforward.
If the Rams manage to win one of their final three games, one against Sewanhaka and two against Elmont, they will earn their first winning record since 2022. For the seniors, it would be a just reward for years of perseverance. For younger players, it could be a massive steppingstone to further progress.
