The award honors players who have shown ability on the field and in the classroom, and have found a way to benefit their community.
“I’ve hopefully conducted myself in a way that those around me can be proud,” Beemer said. “I was extremely honored. If you look at the names on the list, it was some of the top student-athletes in the country.”
Beemer has been a three-time captain. He has a career .287 batting average and is an excellent fielder, having two errorless seasons to his credit playing the outfield.
He’s been on the fast track academically. A sports administration major, Beemer completed his undergrad in three years. He will be four classes short of his master’s in business administration once his senior baseball season ends.
On the field, Beemer’s main goal has been to get Ball State back to the postseason. The Cardinals were 29-29 when Beemer was a freshman and featured two players taken in the early rounds of the MLB draft. The team also featured Greg Beals as head coach, who moved on to Ohio State following the season. Ball State struggled the next two years, but with Beemer as a senior, the Cardinals are hovering around .500, still in contention for the MAC tournament.
Being a team leader in these circumstances has been tough.
“You have to keep the guys motivated,” Beemer said. “I think that’s why this year has been important, with our goal getting to MAC tournament. The seniors understand we’ve been through trials and tribulations and it taught us a lot about life — it doesn’t always go the way you want to, but you keep going and try to make the most out of it.”
Beemer will coach the Dayton Classic under-16 team this season. He hopes to coach college baseball as a career.
Big East champ: The University of Cincinnati's David Tepe (Lakota East) won the Big East men's golf title in Orlando on April 30, shooting a 208 over three rounds. He shot a 2-under 70 in the final round.
Local Bulldogs: The Butler University women's soccer team completed its spring season on April 21. The team featured three locals — Caroline Kowal (Carroll), Randi DeLong (Wayne) and Natalie Nusinow (Centerville). Kowal scored a goal in Butler's spring opener against Wisconsin-Milwaukee in March.
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