Thursday, May 22, 2025
The Bruins’ softball team has started off 7-5 but its run production has been dizzying.
Baldwin is jolting the ball all over Nassau County to the tune of a .431 team batting average, scoring 10.1 runs per game. It's the second-most average runs for a Tom Llewellyn-coached team. He's been running the Baldwin softball show since 2008. "We're scoring a lot of runs,'' he said. "Our hitting has kept us in every game this year.''
The senior co-captains are leading the charge in every way – catcher Erin Timmes and shortstop Jayden Culbreath. Both are hitting over .600 and each has knocked in 21 runs. Timmes and Culbreath are four-year starters.
"It's really good to have those four-year players for leadership,'' Llewellyn said. "Not only are they helping with their play but their leadership, teaching the girls the culture of the program.''
A commit to Division III Grove City College in Pennsylvania, Timmes leads the club with a .705 batting clip, rocking eight doubles.
As a returning All-County player, Timmes also takes the mound on occasion and is a rock for a younger pitching staff behind the plate. "(Timmes) is a gap hitter and spreads the field with her hitting,'' Llewellyn said..
Culbreath is batting .638 with 9 doubles. But this is hardly a senior-laden squad.
"It's a really good mix of girls,'' Llewellyn said. "We have two freshman, two sophomores and three juniors who start.''
One of those flowering freshman is starting pitcher Liv Pascual, who is 7-4. "She's got a long career ahead of her,'' Llewelyn said. "Having (Timmes) behind the plate, it's nice to have that security blanket.''
The other freshman starter is Lilly Duet, who has hit .375 with 14 RBIs and belted the season's biggest hit in the biggest win.
On April 14, in an non-league affair against powerful Hicksville, Baldwin trailed 4-2 when Duet smoked a three-run double in the fifth inning.
The hit gave the Bruins a 5-4 upset victory but not before ace centerfielder, junior Amanda Aguiluz made a game-saving, leaping, over-the-shoulder catch for the final out. Aguiluz has been a whiz defensively.
Last spring, Baldwin lost in the first round to Port Washington but this squad could be built for a longer postseason with all the bats.
Junior rightfielder Akwia Bonsu, at leadoff, is hitting .400 with 16 runs scored and is 12-for-12 in stolen bases. "She's superfast,'' Llewellyn said.
Sophomore third baseman Chloe Collado (.575 average) and junior Kennedy Thompson (.480) are clutch bats and senior Sam Prongay has been solid defensively at first base.
The Bruins' Conference 6 record is 5-4 but don't sleep on the Baldwin bats.
