Not a lot of coaches have 700 career wins under their belt but, as of March 7, Fountain Hills High School baseball coach Mike Briguglio hit that milestone in a game against Pusch Ridge.

It’s taken Briguglio nearly 30 years of coaching to reach that impressive feat and, according to the long-time leader of the Falcon baseball squad, he’s enjoyed every minute of it.

“When I first started coaching, I never really thought about, okay, at 55, I want to still be coaching baseball,” Briguglio said.

“I just knew I had a passion for it at the time and that hasn’t lessened. I’ve been blessed, getting to make a living doing something I love. I enjoy it now more than I ever have.”

Win 700 took place on the home field, with the Falcons playing Pusch Ridge to end a long run through a Phoenix Country Day School tournament. In an earlier chat, Briguglio described the game as a “pitcher’s battle.” The game was tied 2-2 heading into the final inning, when the Falcons finally managed to pull away and earn the win.

“We won it on a walkoff double from Teo Vargas,” Briguglio said.

“Matt Woltkamp led off with a walk and [Tiger] Horikawa bunted him over to second. Teo hit the double to win it.”

The Falcons had a special game ball autographed ahead of time and added the day’s date before passing it off to their coach in commemoration of the event. The crowd also took part, blowing bubbles in celebration.

It’s been a long road to 700 wins, with Briguglio taking up the mantel of coach back in 1983.

“It’s been 33 baseball seasons,” Briguglio explained.

“I was right out of graduate school when I began.”

Briguglio said he used to take losses harder back when he first began but, over the course of a few decades, he’s mellowed out a bit.

“If we took a tough loss, I’d stay up at night, in my uniform, going over the lineup and trying to see what could have gone differently,” he added.

“I took it too hard then. I’ve calmed down over 33 years of experience. You learn to filter both the good and the bad and enjoy it in the moment. I enjoy coaching now more than ever, and that’s a good thing.”

Briguglio said that the game of baseball hasn’t changed much over the years, but he’s had to adapt as the players evolve.

“The X’s and O’s of baseball, the fundamentals are the same,” he added.

“How you reach the kids, though, is different now. The communication level is heightened. In the old days you’d say jump and the kids would say how high? Today, you kind of need to explain why we’re doing things. There’s more communication back and forth.”

As such, Briguglio said he’s still learning his trade after all these years, which has been greatly bolstered by working with “an amazing staff of assistant coaches.”

Moving ahead, Briguglio said his mind isn’t focused on the next milestone so much as the next practice.

“What’s next is today’s game with Tempe,” he said.

“My mantra with the kids is ‘the process.’ It’s an everyday thing. I enjoy the practices as much as the games. I don’t think about win 800, 900 or 1,000. I think about today. We do our best today and then we’ll worry about doing our best tomorrow. Living in the moment, that’s what makes it a joy.”