Journey to becoming the best.
Chris suits up for baseball season. Photo By Rebecca Holt
Chris Needham was born in Denver and has spent his entire life thus far living in the same house. Some might see him as just one in the crowd, casually dressed and mild-mannered, but when he is out on the diamond he is a completely different, aggressive, competitive person.
Needham has been playing baseball since he was just a toddler. His mother, Susan Dolan says, “ I knew he was born to play the game.” At four years of age Needham joined his first team, the Denver Pioneers, and quickly became the leader and captain of the squad.
Needham’s stepfather, Gary Dolan, was even the head coach of the pioneers. “ My dad being the coach was a huge plus in my game; it took a lot of pressure off my shoulders to perform, and we had a lot of fun,” Needham exclaimed.
Chris began noticing the array of different skills he had been developing, and showed no hesitation in showing them off. Needham – even at age four – was hitting home runs, which was – and still is – a very rare sight, due to the fact that he played on fields up to 200 feet in length. “I remember swinging the bat with all my might, and the ball would just fly,” he said with a smile. Chris continued to play with this team throughout his elementary school years, and he just kept getting better and better. His first season with the team, he batted a solid 300 average, with four home runs.
Chris attended Hamilton Middle School, and even as a timid 6th grader he had his mind set on being part of the Hamilton Huskies baseball family. Six long months passed until, finally, springtime came. The flowers were blooming, the fresh Colorado air glowed from the rays of the sun; it was baseball season. Posters advertising tryouts were spread throughout the entire school, “Any baseball players, come try out at 3:45 at the baseball field, and bring your mitt!” Chris came prepared, heavily studded cleats on and mitt in hand. It was go time. “Yeah, I was actually really nervous, but I had a lot of confidence I would make it,” Chris said. His confidence turned into success, as his name was called as one of the fourteen boys to join the team, under the control of then head coach Robert Lampert. “I had a really good feeling he would make it,” said former teammate, and now George Washington Patriots baseball team captain, Chris Burnette, “He showed a lot of dedication. I knew he would become a great asset to our team, and he was.”
Chris played and started every single game for the next three years, performing well no matter what position he was assigned on the diamond. Pitching was his true love, though; winning nearly every game he threw. “I actually went 22-1 in my career there. Pitching was great because I loved being able to control the outcome of the game.” Thanks to Needham’s excellent pitching, he led the Huskies to three consecutive city titles.
Chris’s next task at hand was landing a spot on the Spartans’ starting rotation. Coming in as a freshman during the 06-07 year, the baseball team, being one of TJ’s most successful sports throughout this decade, intrigued Chris. ”The reason I went to TJ was for baseball. They had been so dominant these past few years, I couldn’t wait to be a part of it,” Needham exclaimed.
Not only did Chris make the team, he impressed the coaches so much he earned a spot on the varsity roster, a feat few freshmen could achieve. “He has a lot of talent and potential. I’m excited to have him play for us,” said Baseball Head Coach Tori Humphrey.
Chris started on Varsity his junior year, Racking up a total of five wins on the bump, and hitting six homeruns. “I love hitting the long ball!” he said with a chuckle.
Chris has a lot of excitement built up for this spring, and with the team’s expectations high, as usual, it will be up to the fine crew of seniors, including Brenan Henry, Mike Michelotti, Scott Bruskin, James DiPaolo, and Chris to step up and make things happen. This is Chris’ final season in a Spartan uniform, and when asked how it feels playing his final games he replied, “Hopefully they are the best.”
