The defender, 19, was handed a late starting role against Stevenage last weekend after Peter Hartley was struck down with conjunctivitis.
Baldwin responded with a man-of-the-match performance but credited it to the guidance of former Celtic centre-back Hughes.
He told the Hartlepool Mail: "The gaffer is a former centre-half. He is very active, very hands-on in training and feeds little bits in every day to individuals. That's what I want to hear all the time to keep developing.
"I need to know what I need to do personally as well as part of the team and it's important to take it all on board.
"He wants to play football from the back and that suits me. I feel comfortable doing it and I'm confident in how he wants us to play the game. I hope I did enough to stay in the team. That's where I want to be."
