With the 2026 baseball season in full swing and playoffs approaching, Medway High School is preparing for a deep postseason run under Coach Michael Coppinger. After winning last year’s league championship with 10 seniors, the Mustangs have faced adversity early in the season but have shown remarkable resilience and team chemistry.

Coming into the season, rebuilding seemed inevitable. However, Coppinger had faith in his younger players. “We knew we had some good ball players in the younger grades,” he said. “It wasn’t going to be a total rebuild or anything, but you know, guys have stepped up.”

Coppinger, who has coached the Mustangs for over a decade, has been a fixture in the program since his playing days at Medway High School. After playing college baseball, he transitioned into coaching at Merrimack College and has remained committed to the sport ever since. 

What makes Coppinger’s coaching approach effective is his ability to connect with his players. Having worked with young athletes since high school through summer camps and currently coaching a 10-year-old team on weekends, he brings extensive experience to the varsity level. 

“I just feel like I can relate to the kids and get messages across with them,” he said. “I have a great assistant coach and good coaching staff all through the program, which makes things obviously a lot easier too.”

This relatability has fostered a team culture centered on selflessness and accountability. “We got a lot of selfless kids on the team. They don’t care about their individual accomplishments, especially right now. It’s just about winning games. Winning the league and then, hopefully, getting a good seed in the playoffs,” Coppinger stated.

The 2026 season has tested the Mustangs’ resilience from the start. One of their best players and star center fielder broke his hand right before the first week of games, sidelining him until recently. 

Rather than falter, the team stepped up. “We just had guys step right up into his place,” Coppinger said. “It’s impossible to completely replace him, but they did a great job.”

The team faced another challenge when their catcher went down against Bellingham, forcing another backup to step into a critical role. The Mustangs’ skipper explained, “We just had guys step right up into his place…another one of our guys has stepped in and has done a great job back there. The team has done fantastic at picking each other up here.” 

This “next man up” mentality has become the defining characteristic of the 2026 Mustangs. Despite a puzzling ranking of 38th statewide—even after beating four Division II teams—Coppinger remains focused on what the team can control. “It’s out of our control, so we’re not going to worry about that,” he said pragmatically.

Like any successful coach, Coppinger values the mental side of the game. He emphasizes discipline and accountability daily at practice, hoping these lessons translate beyond the diamond. 

As the playoffs approach, the Mustangs are refining their approach. While early-season games featured plenty of power hitting, Coppinger has incorporated more small ball and fundamental baseball. 

“If you look at our scores early in the season, we slug the ball around, which is great,” he said. “It’s not going to be as easy to do that in the playoffs. You’re just going to face better pitching. So, we’ve been mixing in some more small ball and trying to clean things up.”

For Coppinger, the most important takeaway for his players extends beyond wins and losses. “This is bigger than just one of them—you’re on a team, this is a team sport, other people are counting on you. So, it’s kind of that selflessness we talked about,” he emphasized.

With experienced players, strong coaching, and a team-first mentality, the Medway Mustangs appear well-positioned for a deep postseason run. As they chase another championship, Coach Coppinger’s steady leadership and commitment to developing not just baseball players, but better people, represents what the Medway community is all about.