By Dan Hardenbrook
Jace Suriano never played in a baseball game, but he might have done more for Newberry baseball than anyone in recent memory.
At first, Jace looks like a nice boy with limitations. But people who stuck around after a Newberry High School baseball game the past two seasons saw much more — something much bigger than the game. Jace Suriano had become the heart and soul of the team, providing a spark that was mentally and emotionally more important than athletic ability ever could.
Suriano, a 2025 Newberry High School graduate, is known by many at the ball fields as “Big Jace”. On paper, Suriano was a non verbal special needs student. But this story isn’t about what he can’t do, It’s about the things he can do.
On the baseball field, Suriano was a star. He gave us those magical moments when most thought the day was indeed over.
It all started with one TAS staff member’s quest for inclusion. In the spring of 2024, Newberry Shop and CTE/Building Trades instructor Linus Parr had an idea. What if there was a way to include Jace in one of the school’s athletic programs? He couldn’t safely compete, but Parr knew there was an opportunity for both sides to learn something far greater from the experience.
This was the idea: Jace would join the baseball team and be in the dugout, around his closest buddies and classmates. He would be a part of something and get new experiences as he made his way through high school. The team would get a little bit of help along the way, but players and coaches would learn to work with Suriano, gaining fresh knowledge and perspectives that would be valuable as they too went along the way.
In school, in work, in life, you learn that everyone is unique. Everyone is different, and everyone has a story. And that old cliché: you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
As baseball coach, I saw the immediate positive impact Jace’s addition had on our team. Guys who knew Jace and were close with him lit up when he was around. Kids who maybe were nervous or intimidated by the idea grew personally from their time with Jace.
Jace’s presence was quiet at first. He sat on the bench, giving the occasional fist pump and minding his own business. That soon grew into him showing up in full uniform–batting helmet and all. He was right up there on the fence, just one of the guys hanging out and having fun.
One night, things went to another level. The baseball team, stuck in the middle of a mentally, emotionally, and physically draining season that had taken its toll, got its biggest gift of all from the world’s best bat boy. Jace could hit like a champ! As friends and family lingered after another tough loss, Newberry’s players brought Jace out and let him run around. Soon, Suriano grabbed his bat, stepped up to the team’s practice tee and clobbered a ball. From bat boy to big hitter.
His bright smile beamed through as he took off, rounding the bases. One boy living in the moment brought everyone else to a standstill. Nothing else mattered.
It became a home tradition at Curt Knierim Field. For the rest of the 2024 and 2025 seasons, win or lose, good or bad, Big Jace grabbed his bat, stepped up to the plate and took a big swing.
Suriano’s shining personality caught the attention of the Rudyard Bulldogs, one of Newberry’s biggest baseball rivals. When Rudyard visited Newberry for a conference doubleheader late in the 2024 season, the Bulldogs blasted the Indians, scoring nearly 40 runs in the two games—the two most lopsided losses in Newberry Baseball history.
The Indians had suffered so much loss. They were on their way to a winless 0-19 season, statistically one of the worst teams in the state. Multiple players were hurt, including some with season-ending injuries. Frustrations were high, the countdown was on—can it just be over?
Nobody would’ve blamed Rudyard for rushing back home after two easy wins. Nobody may have noticed if the Indians just packed up and left. But there was one more order of business. Big Jace had to bat. This time when he did, Rudyard’s players and coaches took notice. The cheers from the crowd, roaring teammates running alongside him.
The Bulldogs didn’t just watch, they joined in. Their players jumped in line to run the bases or high-five Jace as he rounded the bases. Another group waited at home plate for him to come across.
Rudyard Coach Billy Mitchell, one of the most accomplished and recognized names in the sport, waved Jace around third like he was a part of a championship team. In the end, two fierce rivals that just played a heated contest came together for hugs and more high fives.
“It was always the highlight of our night to see Jace hit the ball and run the bases. Some moments at the baseball field are bigger than the game of baseball,” said Mitchell. “When Jace stepped up to the plate, it was bigger than any game we could play. To see both teams cheering him on as he rounded the bases says a lot about both schools. We can battle it out on the field and still come together to support and cheer on Jace.”
For Mitchell and the Bulldogs, it was a reminder of what’s most important but often gets overlooked in sports.
“To me, that’s what high school sports should be like,” Mitchell said. “I’m happy that we could help Jace and his family make memories at the baseball field. I’m sure they will be telling stories about Jace’s hits for a long time!”
During the 2025 season, when Rudyard made its return to Newberry, players asked in advance if Jace was coming. The Bulldogs wanted to take things one step further and line up a full infield for the big slugger with the big smile. They had been looking forward to it.
Mitchell, also a PE Teacher at Rudyard, says it’s a culture they embrace.
“Our motto at Rudyard Schools is ‘Every Student, Every Day, Whatever it Takes.’ Our school is big on inclusion of students with special needs,” Mithcell said. “We have students from the ISD Center come to our school to participate in Elementary and High School PE classes. We do whatever we can to remove barriers so ALL students can participate in events. So how our boys helped Jace is what we do every day at our school. Our players do not hesitate to participate in events like that because they enjoy being in that moment.”
It was a feeling that almost every visiting team shared. After the Sault Blue Devils came to play late in the 2025 season, they too took part in the postgame celebration. It was a moment that Sault Coach Kris Bontrager described as one of the highlights of their team’s season.
“The best part of the night was when that young man got to hit off the tee,” Bontrager said. “Our boys were still talking about it the following weekend when we played in Alpena. It was a really cool moment to be a part of!”
Bontrager recognized and told his team that they were a part of something far bigger than baseball.
“[It] kind of restores your faith in society,” he said. “And the Newberry kids are so awesome with him!”
After a bad inning or a tough loss, Jace was always there by our side. He went from biggest fan to the best bat boy, and the teammates who was asked to support him became his biggest fans.
Even on the worst days, he ended their day with a smile. With one crack of the bat and one trip around the bases, Jace turned the worst days into the best. For that brief few minutes nothing else mattered.
I often would stand back or watch from the dugout, holding back tears. A boy and his buddies, coming together on a baseball field, making everyone around them better people.
Baseball doesn’t get better than that.
