Westmoreland Senior Spotlight: Hempfield’s Brandon Coughlin

By: Anthony Difilippo
Monday, November 29, 2021 | 10:54 AM

Last season, Hempfield’s baseball team had an historic year, reaching the WPIAL Class 6A finals for the first time.

With several seniors graduating, Hempfield will look much different this year. But that doesn’t worry senior Brandon Coughlin.

“We’ve got a lot of young guys that are pretty talented,” Coughlin said. “I’m hoping they can step up, and we can have a similar year to last year.”

Coughlin, an outfielder and pitcher who hit .367 with 14 runs scored and 22 RBIs last season, recently signed a letter of intent with Lehigh, which has one of the top baseball programs in the Patriot League.

But Coughlin didn’t choose Lehigh for just the baseball side of things. He also plans to go into their engineering program.

“I think the academic side was really the biggest part of it,” Coughlin said. “That’s kind of what drew me into (Lehigh).”

Before his senior baseball season begins, Brandon Coughlin took some time for a Senior Spotlight Q&A.

How did you get started with baseball?

I started from a young age playing T-Ball with my dad. It just kind of progressed from there. I went and played a little bit of travel ball from a young age and then went to play for Club City when I was about 15.

What do you feel you have left to accomplish in your senior season?

I don’t really have anything specific. I just want to kind of lead a good team and hopefully win a WPIAL championship, (which) we didn’t do last year. And, yeah, just have a good season overall.

What position do you feel like you could have the most success with in the future?

I’m not positive yet. I’m kind of seeing where I’m at next season with both of those things and where it takes me into college and where I fit in better.

What is your biggest strength?

I’d say probably my speed. I’ve always kind of been fast, and that’s helped me a lot with being a good outfielder and being able to run the bases well.

Is there an area where you think you could improve?

I’d say with pitching, probably just working on my offspeed and being more consistent I’d say.

What is one thing that people may not know about you?

I’d say that I’m very dedicated. I like to work out a lot. And, I’m very approachable. If anyone needs to talk about anything, I’d be there to support them with anything.

Tags: Hempfield