The state’s returning Gatorade Player of the Year, the 6-foot, 175-pound junior midfielder led the Knights to a 15-1-1 record and a third-straight Class AA state championship this past season. Baldridge scored 21 goals and passed for nine assists, tallying two goals and an assist in Hellgate’s 4-2 win over Glacier High in the state final. A two-time First Team All-State selection, he concluded his junior year with 32 goals and 23 assists in his prep soccer career.
Baldridge has maintained a 3.34 GPA in the classroom. He will begin his senior year of high school this fall.
An accomplished pianist, Baldridge is a member of his school’s Financial Academy. He has volunteered locally as a youth soccer coach. “Matt’s presence on the field was top class,” said Kumal LaCasse, head coach of Charles M. Russell High. “His strength, speed, field awareness and commitment to his teammates was evident from the first kickoff to the last whistle.”
