HOLYOKE – Former Valley Blue Sox infielder Charlie Ludwick hit a walk-off single on Father’s Day on June 19, 2022. He was mobbed by his teammates, who ripped off his jersey and showered him with Gatorade in celebration.
Ludwick noted his walk-off single as the most memorable moment in his career as a member of the Blue Sox. But perhaps his most significant moment in a Blue Sox jersey has yet to come.
Two years later, Ludwick received a phone call from Blue Sox president and owner Matt Drury about the potential to return to Valley as an assistant coach. Ludwick, who spent the 2024 season as a graduate assistant coach for the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team, recalled his fantastic moment and was excited about the opportunity to make more memories.
“I received a text from [Matt Drury], and he wanted to talk to me about the possibility of coaching for the team,” Ludwick said. “We talked on the phone, I was sitting in our bullpen area, and it was really special for [Matt Drury] to want me back.
“It was the perfect opportunity for me.”
As his season with EKU progressed, Ludwick fell in love with coaching and began seeing a future in which to continue a career in coaching. He wants to do this for the foreseeable future. Once he got the call to return to the Blue Sox organization as an assistant coach, it was a picture-perfect opportunity.
Ludwick is trying to improve his coaching every day. His past coaches in various baseball leagues have significantly impacted him, and he wants to pay it forward this season.
“I loved hitting, I love game planning with the guys, and I want to be a hitting coach at the highest level,” Ludwick said. “I realized how good my coaches were. I want to learn from my coaches.”
Ludwick hopes to learn from the coaching staff around him and from the players he coaches.
“As much as I have to offer to them,” Ludwick said, “I think they have just as much to offer me.”
One of Ludwick’s idols is Blue Sox manager Pedro Santiago, who coached Ludwick when he was a player on the team. Ludwick wants to be the type of coach that Santiago is now.
One who doesn’t just care about the game but one who cares about the players as well.
“He was so approachable, he could tell you really cared,” Ludwick said. “He helped me a lot and gave me a lot of tips. He’s the ideal type of guy you want on your staff.”
