At Next9Up, our team of passionate coaches brings decades of experience across high school, collegiate, and youth athletics. Whether you’re refining fundamentals, building confidence, or chasing a championship, our coaches combine expertise, mentorship, and real-world grit to help every player reach their next level.
T.J. Chiappone
Bellingham native T.J. Chiappone is an accomplished and well-known baseball coach.
In 1995, Coach Chiappone became the Varsity Baseball Head Coach at Bellingham High School, and, three years later made his first postseason trip as Head Coach. The Blackhawks then followed every year to the tournament for 22 consecutive years. Under his leadership, the Blackhawks have won four Tri-Valley League Championships and, in 2014, were victorious in the MIAA State Championship.
During his tenure with BHS baseball, Coach Chiappone has been named Tri-Valley Coach of the Year multiple times, inducted into the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame Class of 2020, and is part of the Class of 2021 Bellingham High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
He stepped down as Varsity Coach in 2020 and continued to assist coaches within Bellingham High School, Hock Valley Sports, Bellingham Youth Baseball, and at Next9Up.
In 2021, Coach Chiappone became the Head Coach for the Hock Valley Panthers in the renowned Cranberry League, a league for amateur collegiate and former professional players. He was named the Cranberry League Coach of the Year in 2021, and again in 2022.
In 2025, Coach Chiappone returned to Bellingham High School as the Varsity Head Coach, where his story started. He continues to elevate players to their fullest potential and creating strong team mentality for success. We are fortunate to have him at Next9Up.
Zach Brown
Zach Brown has been the Franklin High School Varsity Baseball Head Coach since 2013. He led Franklin High School baseball to the Division 1A Super 8 State Championship in 2018, and was the top seed in 2019. Coach Brown was awarded the National High School Baseball Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year in 2019.
Coach Brown attended Wheaton College and played for the Lyons before graduating and becoming an Assistant Coach at Wheaton for 11 years. While at Wheaton in his coaching role, he guided the group to the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) batting average crown for six consecutive seasons, nine Conference Tournament Championships, 2 NCAA D3 Regional Championships, and two National Runner-Ups at the D3 World Series.
One player who had the opportunity to play for Coach Brown for three seasons at Franklin High School said, “Playing in back to back Super 8 championships was more than gratifying, but playing for Coach Brown and learning the intangibles of baseball while gaining life lessons was really what it was all about.”
We are fortunate to have Coach Brown on our team at Next9Up.
Brett Edmunds
Brett Edmunds is a Franklin resident and Assistant Coach with the Franklin High School varsity baseball team. His primary responsibility with the Panthers is infield defense and he also assists with the hitters. Coach Edmunds is a former infielder at Wheaton College where he was part of a program that won four NEWMAC Conference Championships and participated in four NCAA Tournaments. After graduation and during law school, he also coached baseball at Roger Williams University.
Coach Edmunds also coaches a number of youth programs in Franklin, including the Franklin Bulldogs, a local AAU baseball program, Metro basketball, youth soccer, and flag football. He is on the Board of the Franklin Youth Baseball Organization and volunteers his time coaching town baseball.
Coach Edmunds graduated from Wheaton College in 2003 and Roger Williams School of Law in 2006. He is an attorney for the Flynn Law Group, husband to “Trainer Jen” and proud father to Ethan and Charlotte.
