Osceola’s  Baldwin goes out on top

By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

With two state championships, six state tournament appearances and a national record 324 high school wrestling victories, Osceola High senior Pete Baldwin could rightfully proclaim himself to be the most accomplished wrestler in Osceola County history.

But, Baldwin wouldn’t do that.

Baldwin, who won the Class 3A 145-pound state championship for the Kowboys in February, completing a perfect 54-0 season, is as humble as he is talented.

“I was fortunate to always be around really good wrestlers, from the time when I was little,” Baldwin, the Osceola News-Gazette Wrestler of the Year, said. “When I got here, there were guys like Niko (Brown) and Alex (Eggers) and Levi (Clemons) here, and they all made me a better wrestler.”

Baldwin already was an outstanding wrestler when he arrived at OHS after competing three seasons at Class A Life Academy. He twice went to the state meet there, in the seventh and eighth grades, placing both times.

He won the Class 3A 119-pound state championship as a freshman, and reached the finals during his sophomore and junior seasons.

But, he said, for all of his success, it was watching his younger brother, Fox Baldwin, win the 119-pound Class A state championship this year for Lake Highland Prep, that really energized him.

“When you see someone else achieve something like that, to be right there to see all that hard work pay off, that is what really inspires me,” he said. “I learned watching Fox that the best glory goes to those around you, the people who have helped you and taught you and cheered for you through all those years of hard work.”

Osceola High Coach Jim Bird has worked with Baldwin since he was in elementary school.

“What can you say about Pete? It’s really rewarding to see someone like that, who does things the right way, who is a great student athlete, succeed. Pete is the type of kid that you want to be the model for your program,” Bird said.

Baldwin said there are many to thank for his success, starting with his parents, Pete Sr. and Diana Baldwin. He said his coaches, led by Bird and OHS assistant Rick Tribit, Bird’s wife, Olga Bird, his uncles, his teammates and his classmates all played a role in his development.

He even thanked his little brother, even though Fox, only an eighth-grader, seems destined to erase all of his older brother’s remarkable records.

“That’s the way it should be. Your little brother should always be in a position to break your records. That’s why they are there,” Baldwin said.

Fox Baldwin already has 180 career victories and 131 pins. His 53 pins this season, when he compiled a 61-2 overall record, is a state record. He recently placed second at the Flo Nationals and won at 133 pounds at the Brute Adidas Nationals at Kansas City, Mo.

In addition to holding the national high school record for most victories, Pete Baldwin also is the career high school pins leader (242). He won the Powerade 2010 145-pound championship in Pennsylvania last December and is a Super 32 All American.

He continued to excel after the high school season, placing second at the Senior Nationals at Virginia Beach, Va., in March. He is ranked No. 4 nationally. Baldwin will join the Old Dominion University wrestling program in Norfolk, Va. this summer after signing a scholarship with the Monarchs in November.

During Baldwin’s tenure at OHS, the team never finished lower than fourth in Class 3A. Osceola won the 2009 state championship. He said he will do everything he can to make sure that success continues.

“A lot of guys come back all the time to help the team, like Tim and Niko, and I’ll be back whenever I can to help,” he said.

“I’m proud to come from a program with so much tradition. It means a lot to be a Kowboy, it’s a special place. The students here are great and so are the teachers and the administrators. This will always have a special place in my heart.”