Class of 2018 grad Taylor Dadig was a softball standout for Baldwin and is currently an assistant coach with the team. Now she is also being recognized as an inductee to the high school’s athletic Hall of Fame.
“It’s an honor to be inducted into Baldwin’s Hall of Fame. I get the opportunity coaching to give back to a softball program that has given me so much, so this honor is a testament to all of the support I’ve had throughout my entire athletic career,” Dadig said.
Dadig was a four-year starter and a three-year captain. As a junior, she hit .643, earning the WPIAL batting title. She was also a three-time WPIAL First Team All-Section selection whose teams made the playoffs every year.
Dadig looks back on her high school playing career fondly.
“My favorite softball memory is winning a state playoff game at Penn State’s field, then rushing back with Carly Santillo (who is now another assistant coach) to walk at our graduation ceremony,” Dadig said.
Dadig said she and Santillo are so happy to be coaching because they can relate to the players.
“Carly and I are lucky to be able to share our softball knowledge and experience with these younger girls, since we were in their shoes not long ago,” she said. “As a coaching staff, we believe it’s so important to give back to this program and connect with our players over our shared love of the game and growing up as student-athletes at Baldwin.”
The Hall of Fame inductees will be recognized tonight during the boys basketball game. In addition to Dadig, they include Paul DeGregorio, Jodi (Sabalauskas) Lombardi, Wendy (Werner) Lutz, and the 1975 ice hockey team.
DeGregorio, a Class of 2011 graduate, ran both cross country and track. In cross country, he was a Tri-State champion in the 3000M race during his senior year. He also helped lead the cross country team to silver medals in 2009 and 2010. In track, DeGregorio won the WPIAL gold medal in the 3200M run, and his time remains the third-fastest in Highlander history.
A Class of 2000 alum, Lombardi is one of the most dominant bowlers in Baldwin history. She earned All-Conference honors all four years, helping lead her team to four straight section championships. Lombardi was also named PIAA girls singles champion and was the league MVP her junior and senior year.
Lutz, a Class of 1987 graduate, was the first female athlete at Baldwin to medal at a state level, placing sixth in the 200 IM at the 1986 PIAA swimming championships. Lutz was a four-year state qualifier in the 200 IM, 500 freestyle, and the 100 butterfly, and she qualified for nationals in 1986 and 1987. When she graduated, she held six individual and two relay records at Baldwin, and two of those still stand today. Lutz also served as a Baldwin assistant and head swim coach from 2004 to 2014.
The 1975 ice hockey team won the first-ever Pennsylvania High School Hockey Championship. In the title game, Baldwin defeated Churchill High School 4-3 in overtime, with the team’s leading scorer, Jim Cox, getting the winning goal. This team boasted a record of 20-4-2. The Highlanders were coached by the late Skim Remmy, with help from Assistant Coach Joe Smith.
