Baldwin baseball rebounds from 1-19 season with trip to WPIAL playoffs

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, May 25, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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It had been a lengthy span since the Baldwin baseball team advanced to the WPIAL playoffs.

Rookie coach Scott Wolf, a Brentwood baseball product, changed the direction of the program in 2025.

The Highlanders qualified for the Class 5A district tournament by finishing as the Section 4 runner-up with a 7-3 record behind only Thomas Jefferson (9-1).

Baldwin received the No. 10 seed for the playoffs and met No. 7 Peters Township in the first round May 15 at McDowell Field in Canonsburg.

The Highlanders suffered a 5-4 loss to the Indians, who were sparked by a James Tygard home run. Aiden Robinson belted two doubles for Baldwin, which ended up 9-8 overall.

Wolf stuck to the basics in his first season as field boss. There was only one way to go — upward — for the Highlanders, who suffered through a rough 1-19 season in 2024 and were outscored 176-47.

“My basic coaching philosophy is to be competitive on and off the field,” Wolf said. “My expectations for the team this year was to simply compete. We will get past the season of a year ago by setting a standard for teamwork, camaraderie and playing for the name on the front of the shirt, not the one on the back.

“The players’ and coaches’ efforts were very appreciated this year. Overall, it was a good season and the players exceeded my initial expectations. The team overachieved and came together unified, playing for the name on the front of their jersey, Baldwin baseball.”

Baldwin made a successful Brentwood connection for its baseball program following the 2024 season.

And the 54-year-old Wolf certainly has paid his dues, serving as an assistant from 2010-16 at Carlynton, 2016-22 at Canon-McMillan and 2023-24 at Central Valley. The Big Macs were WPIAL and PIAA champions in 2018.

Wolf is a 1989 Brentwood graduate who competed in baseball from 1990-92 at Penn State Greater Allegheny.

“Playing and coaching baseball has always been a passion of mine,” he said.

Wolf was assisted this spring by Rick Klein, who graduated from Brentwood in 1987, and Klein’s son Easton, a 2018 Brentwood graduate.

“I’m looking forward to working with this great group of players,” Wolf said prior to the start of his Baldwin tenure, “and hope to have an opportunity to get the team to a WPIAL playoff game. Our goal is to compete at a high level, improve every game, and put ourselves in a position to win.”

Mission accomplished.

Despite the first-round defeat to Peters Township, the Highlanders finished with a winning record at 9-8 overall.

After starting out 1-4 while the coaches and players were getting acclimated, the Highlanders won four games in a row and seven of their next eight to improve to 8-5 and build momentum for the final weeks of the season.

Wolf greeted just three returning senior starters from last year’s club: Dylan Hartman, a pitcher/first baseman; Matt Nowicki, at catcher; and Nick Burg, a pitcher/outfielder. They were united with seniors Gavin Guttendorf (P), Jackson Sgattoni (2B) and Brady Caplan (INF).

The five juniors on the club consisted of Trey Alario (P/OF), Tyler Dingus (P), Ethan Helbling (OF), Nico Macurak (INF) and Gavin Sakely (P/INF).

Robinson (C/INF), Dan Brown (P/INF), Matt Musial (OF), Cooper Sturges (P/INF), Elio Eisel (OF) and Logan Siefert (OF) represented the sophomore class.

The team’s top freshman was Hudson McKain, a left-handed pitcher/first baseman/outfielder.

That makes for 12 players potentially returning in 2026 who are familiar with Wolf’s coaching philosophy.

However, as Wolfe cautioned, “Next year’s team will be young.”

Baldwin’s typical starting lineup this spring consisted of Musial (CF), Sakely (SS), Nowicki (C), Robinson (3B), McKain (1B), Alario (RF), Macurak (2B) and Helbling (LF).

The pitching staff included Hartman, Burg, Alario, Dingus, Sturges, Brown and Sakely.

That means the Highlanders will lose one senior starter at catcher to graduation and two senior starting pitchers.

Tags: Baldwin