SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The New York Collegiate baseball league has been around since 1978. It's a summer league is filled with players trying to make it to the majors. For the Syracuse Spartans, it helps to have a coach who knows all about being a pro. 

It’s an hour before gametime.

 “I got my boy Jordy, he’s from Mars, I got Tim, he’s from Jupiter. The rest of these boys are from around the United States, and we’re lucky to have them flown in," Kevin Newby says as he walks up to some Spartans players. 

Kevin Newby has just arrived, and he's chirping. 

“Houdini is his nickname, he always finds a way on base. He’s fabulous," Newby says as the guys chuckle.

After spending 46 years in California, this West Genny Hall of Famer has come home.

“I am happier being here later in life. It’s wonderful," Newby says. 

“Newb” is the hitting coach.

 “It’s always fun watching someone who doesn’t know how to use a bat. Beautiful. Are you sure you’re not a pitcher, son? Let’s go," Newby says. 

And he’s thrown a lot of balls.

“If you do the math, I’ve thrown 3,000 balls a week for 47 years. That’s almost six million balls to hitters," Newby says. 

Kevin knows baseball. He signed a free agent deal with the Montreal Expos in 1974. Newby says he learned 80 percent of his baseball from Walt Hriniak, one of the most prominent batting coaches in the game. Hriniak, who coached names like Wade Boggs and Carl Yastrzemski, had a reputation of being a tireless worker.

Yeah, there are some similarities.

 “Steve, yeah that works," Newby says. 

Over the years, Newby has coached 43 MLB position players.

“This is Kevin Newman, he’s the starting shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates right now. He’s my 9th first round draft pick," Newby says as he points out a photo on his phone. 

And he keeps coaching, even at 65, for the love of the game.

“A lot of the players I played with said I was dedicated, but that’s really, a lie because I was kind of like a fat kid on his 20th scoop of ice cream. What do you want to call him dedicated for not pulling away from the table," Newby asks. 

Those metaphors are just icing on the cake. Kate Callaway asked him why he loves the game so much. 

“It gave me everything I have."