For Chris Newell, Saturday afternoon at Jimmy John’s Field will be special. After many years – 27 in fact – he will don a Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes High School baseball uniform again.
Newell was the shortstop on the Lakers’ 1991 Class D state championship squad. Now he is the manager of the defending United Shore Professional Baseball League champion Birmingham-Bloomfield Beavers, and a renown local hitting instructor.
What really makes it special, though, is Newell will be assisting his high school coach, Dan Webster, who returned to coach the Lakers last season. The Lakers will be facing Auburn Hills Oakland Christian.
“Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes is a special place and Dan Webster is a special person,” Newell said. “It’s a very family-oriented place and Dan has been like an extended father to many of his players, including myself. He was my mentor back then, and remains my mentor all these years later. Believe me, this is quite an honor.”
“Chris comes back a couple times a year and talks to the team, and he has worked with many of our players down through the years,” Webster said. “We’re one of the few parish high schools remaining in the Catholic League, a real family. I think to a large degree it’s because of generation from generation handing down.
Read more from the Daily Tribune: “Pat Caputo – For USPBL title manager Chris Newell, a special honor”
Check out Newell’s 2017 USPBL Post Season Interview sharing his love for his Alma Mater
**GAME RESCHEDULED to Monday, April 23**
Tickets for the baseball game at Jimmy Johns Field are available from Mrs. Di Dio, Mr. Kullman, or any baseball player for $10 each.