Wayne Welton spent 33 years as the head baseball coach at Chelsea High School in Chelsea, Michigan, where he amassed a career record of 767-357-11 (.676). From 1979-2011, Welton led his teams to 13 Southeastern Conference championships while earning Regional Coach of the Year honors eight times.
At the time of his retirement from high school coaching in 2011, Welton was one of only nine in state history to have reached the 700-win plateau, a mark he reached in 2007.
In 1991, Welton earned Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association (MHSBCA) Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Bulldogs to a Class B state title.
He was again honored by the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association with induction into their Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2003.
For over 20 years, Welton also served as the Athletic Director at Chelsea, guiding 24 varsity programs with over 90 coaches from 1989-2011.
The Michigan High School Athletic Association recognized Welton in 2006 for his significant contributions to Michigan high school athletics, honoring him with the Allen W. Bush Meritorious Service Award.
He was also named the Regional Athletic Director of the Year by the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA) in 2010 and was again honored by the MIAAA in 2017, receiving the Association’s Jack Johnson Distinguished Service Award.
In 2018, Chelsea High named its baseball stadium, Wayne R. Welton Field, in his honor.
Welton most recently spent 10 seasons on the staff at the University of Michigan, including nine as the Director of Baseball Operations. Welton joined the staff in 2011 and was part of the 2019 Wolverine team that advanced to the championship series of the NCAA Div. I College World Series, the first College World Series appearance for the Wolverines since 1984.
Welton also coached with USA Baseball as part of the Junior Olympics Task Force in 1995 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
A 1972 graduate of Chelsea High School, Welton earned his Bachelor of Science degree in health and physical education from Central Michigan University in 1977 prior to joining the staff at his alma mater in 1978.
In addition to coaching the Chelsea baseball team, Welton taught world history, health, and physical education, while also coaching the school’s football and basketball teams.
