The Newburgh Baseball Program hosted our 2nd Annual Hat Exchange celebrating the day our teams become a family.  Our Varsity Boys welcomed the Modified Boys into the program with our Annual Hat Exchange. 

Our hats are very special to our program. They represent Newburgh Baseball, but they also represent a very important student athlete, Jett Diaz who passed away in 2022 at the age of 14. The #88 and a jet are embroidered into every player's hat.  That is Jett's number he wore through his baseball career. Jett's parents, James and Patty, came to speak to the players about Jett's spirit on and off the baseball field. They spoke about his diagnosis with cancer at the age of 13 and the months of fighting he did after his diagnosis and surgeries. Jett lived every moment after he got out of the hospital with a mentality that not many people would have. He taught us that when you get knocked down you don't give up.  Jett's dad told the players that many things in life would knock them down, but they need to think about what they will do to get back up. James Diaz is a 6th grade teacher at South Middle School.
 

We hope the student-athletes will remember Jett's fighting spirit both on and off the baseball field. We will continue to honor Jett annually to inspire the future generation of players. It’s incredible to witness sports connect people through values like perseverance, resilience, and spirit which are all the characteristics that represent Jett.
 

The Block N on your hat represents who you play for, the #88 on your hat represents why you play. Do them both proud!
 

On May 22nd, our program will wear Jett’s number, favorite Mets colors, and/or his logo from the apparel store to celebrate Jett’s birthday. Please feel free to join us in honoring Jett's fighting spirit! You can place any orders by clicking on this link! 
 

Thank you James and Patty Diaz and Coach Seabury for creating memories for the Newburgh Baseball Teams. 

Photos courtesy of Mandy Riner Clifford story provided by Amanda Cross.