ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, June 13, 1996 TAG: 9606130029
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: N-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MICHAEL CROAN STAFF WRITER
Most baseball players would be renegotiating their contracts after hitting
After all, Hall of Famer Ted Williams only hit .406 in 1941, a record that still stands in Major League baseball.
But Chris Newton isn't thinking about agents, signing bonuses or contracts - yet.
The 13-year-old eighth-grader concentrates equally on sports and school, continually defining what it means to be a student-athlete.
"I was batting .762 going into the last game against Woodrow Wilson," he said. But a one-for-four performance against his league's championship team brought his season average down to .680.
Still, it was a good year for a young man who hit a respectable .290 last year. So what was the main difference between last season and this season?
Television.
Chris said his coach made the team watch an instructional batting video before the season started. "It showed all the fundamentals of hitting," Chris explained, "like keeping your body stable and keeping your feet shoulder-width apart."
Apparently, the advice worked. Chris went 17 for 25 over the season, with two triples, six doubles and nine singles.
He even switch-hit during one game. "The coach said when we played Ruffner that if we got to hit the second time in the same inning, to bat left-handed," he said.
In his only left-handed at-bat all year, Chris singled through the infield.
However, Chris' competitive nature prevented him from becoming too centered on his hitting.
"I don't really care about my average," he said, "just winning games." Because winning involves more than just hitting, he focuses on defense from his position on second base.
"I like playing defense a whole lot. I think defense comes before offense," he said, echoing the sentiments of today's coaches.
Chris said he enjoys being a second baseman because it keeps him involved in the game mentally.
The baseball diamond isn't the only place where Chris will stand up to a challenge.
Although he has asthma, he found a way to play basketball for James Madison Middle School and soccer for the Roanoke Star in the under-14 age group.
Athletics will keep Chris busy during the summer, too.
A weeklong baseball camp at Hampden-Sydney College and a weeklong soccer camp at William and Mary will take up half of July.
All this after a weeklong Roanoke Youth Symphony Camp at Ferrum College in June, where he will contribute as a violinist.
Regardless of his extracurricular activities, Chris continues to impress with his schoolwork.
He's been on at least the A-B honor roll all year, and is in an honors program at Madison.
As he prepares to make the big jump from middle school to high school, Chris is getting an academic jump by joining the advanced studies honors program at Patrick Henry High School.
Among other things, the program features advanced classes in American history, Chris' favorite subject.
Chris' mother, Priscilla Newton, said that although Chris does well in science, "Science is not his thing."
His career goals revealed the same. "I'm kind of hoping to be a lawyer that helps defend doctors in malpractice suits," he said.
Chris said he hopes to attend the University of Virginia, but not necessarily for his athletic ability.
"If he reached the level where he was good enough to play in college, I'd love to see that," Chris' father, Richard Newton, said. But there's no pressure on him to perform like a professional.
"He's a good kid," his father said. "You don't have to stay on him. He's a high achiever."
"He's very self-disciplined," his mother added. "The way he plays sports and keeps his grades at top notch is unreal."
But to Chris, this is all routine. "I just like to play sports and have a good time," he said, smiling.
As for the violin, "It's just something that you can do to relieve stress," he said.
Right now, the only thing Chris seems worried about is the sports scheduling for next year. The possibility of soccer conflicting with baseball has him in a quandary. "I hope he'll be able to play baseball because he enjoys it and he's got talent," Richard Newton said.
Chris feels the same way.
"I hope I can still play baseball next year," he said. "I'm not sure how hitting will go ... . We'll just have to wait and see."
Chris plans to work on hitting a right-handed curve over the summer, but is confident he'll be able to compete, even against the bigger, faster, stronger pitchers in high school.If Newton's numbers are as impressive as they were this year, he may soon have pitchers aiming for his head instead of the plate.
But the promising player is undaunted by talk of big boys and beanballs.
If he gets hit, Chris says he'll just have to suck it up and "take one for the team."
What does he hope changes most for him?
"Hopefully, the umpires will be better next year."
LENGTH: Long : 103 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ROGER HART/Staff. Chris Newton, who will be a freshmanby CNBat Patrick Henry High School this fall, finished the season at James
Madison Middle School with a .680 batting average. color.