Batavia's 'Mr. Baseball': NIU-bound Beckmann sets tone for Bulldogs

Alex Beckmann is without a doubt the Batavia baseball team's man for just about everything the Bulldogs want and need.

Need a consistent leadoff man? Beckmann is the man.

How about getting on base? Beckmann does that a lot.

What if opposing pitchers pitch around you? Beckmann fights through it.

On defense? The Bulldogs rely on Beckmann to make plays and not commit any errors in the infield.

It's this all-around game that earned Beckmann the team's MVP honor as a sophomore and the Mr. Bulldog award as a junior.

Now, as a senior, Beckmann is expected to do it all -- again -- in his final season at Batavia.

"He's been the face of baseball at Batavia for as long as I've been here," senior outfielder Jake Landreth said of Beckmann. "He's just a really great player."

"He is Mr. Baseball," senior infielder Brad Brandenburg added. "He's just a stud."

How is this for being a stud -- as a sophomore, Beckmann was an all-area selection after leading the area with a .556 batting average while posting 29 RBI. He averaged a little over one run a game.

As a junior, the lefty batter, once again, was an all-area choice with his .511 batting average and 5 home runs.

Through Wednesday's games, Beckmann is currently hitting .538 with 4 runs, has 1 RBI with an on- base percentage of .688 in 4 outings with the Bulldogs.

"His numbers are ridiculous," Landreth said. "He's just a very hard worker. He tries his best every day in practice. He helps coach other players, and that shows he sees the game well. He has natural talent."

It's safe to say Beckmann is a natural leadoff man. He has patience at the plate, he knows how to work the count and he always finds a way to get on base.

"It's always been fun for me to be the first one up and set the tone for the rest of the game," Beckmann said. "It seems like if I start things off by getting on base, we usually have a good game."

"The other day, Benet was trying to pitch around him, and he ended up getting 3 hits," Batavia coach Matt Holm added. "It's uncanny.

"When he gets on, that puts pressure on teams. We have (No. 2 batter) Brad Brandenburg, who moves (Beckmann) along if he's not stealing the base…we also have (Tim) Drish and (Brian) Krolikowski behind (Brandenburg), so at some point, pitchers have to pitch to someone. It's a great advantage for us."

One thing Beckmann has tried to do is hit for power. Holm said he has the potential, but is best at just finding a way to reach base.

"I don't mind him doing either," Holm said. "I think that home run ball will finally come to him. He hit a ball in batting practice the other day that hit the top of the football press box, so it's there. He's got the whole package. If he wants to go to the power or just looking to get on and score runs."

"I've had good batting averages, but at the end of last year, I started hitting more home runs and more doubles," Beckmann added. "It's something I want to keep doing."

Another thing Beckmann did last year was make the switch from second base to shortstop. As a result, the Bulldogs won 8 in a row toward the end of last year. He made just one error in the infield last year.

"I love being at short," Beckmann said. "I like making the throw. It's harder to do. It's more challenging, it's more fun."

"Alex covers an incredible amount of ground," Holm added. "He's already turned two double plays on his own (this year), and that gives us a huge advantage."

"If the ball is hit to him, everyone knows the play will be made," Brandenburg added. "It's a for sure out if it is hit his way."

Another huge advantage for the Bulldogs and Beckmann is his college choice. He is all set to play baseball at Northern Illinois University next year.

"I was worried about his size (in getting recruited), but he's gotten a lot bigger and stronger and has worked very hard," Holm said on Beckmann, who hovers around 5-foot-10. "NIU saw a lot of good things with him. It doesn't matter what size you are when you have that swing. He's got one of the prettiest swings and the quickest hands…he doesn't try to do anything fancy with the ball."

"It's great, especially for this season," Beckmann added. "Now it's just play for the team and have fun the rest of high school."

Holm has just a few more months with Beckmann. He knows, however, once his leadoff man graduates, it will be tough to replace him.

"I don't want to even think about what it will be like when he's not here," Holm said. "When he's not, those will be some very tough shoes to fill."