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Beck, the most potent batter for the Kee Hawks (25-4, 13-1 Upper Iowa) this season, had been sidelined a week with a pulled muscle in his back. Replacing Beck’s big bat in the lineup has been tough for Schultz.
“It was very difficult,” Schultz said. “It was almost like we weren’t the same team.
“Hopefully we get him back healthy because he’s a devastating hitter, a decent pitcher and a great infielder,” Schultz said. “He fills that three-hole (the third position in the batting order) perfectly for us.”
Beck not only fills that spot in the batting order but also fills a leadership void left in the Kee Hawks’ lineup left by the departure of three seniors from last year’s state championship team.
“I feel like I’m a leader out there,” Beck said. “I play big roles on this team and try to speak up more often. All these fans, they expect you to win and I want to help make that happen.”
Schultz actually said it is sometimes difficult to get Beck to verbally motivate his teammates, but he said Beck has no problem leading the young Kee Hawks “by example instead of by voice.”
Junior catcher/pitcher Dan Reburn, Kee’s cleanup batter, understands that Beck’s hot bat takes a lot of the pressure off him.
“You always know he’ll put it in play,” Reburn said. “He’s a good batter and it always seems like he’ll come through with a big hit or big RBI for us.”
Beck, Kee’s third baseman when he’s not pitching, leads the team in home runs (10), RBI (38) and slugging percentage (1.013). His .557 batting average is tops among starters.
On the mound, Beck is one of the top three pitchers for the Kee Hawks — along with senior Gabe Schultz and Reburn — in innings pitched. He has a 3-2 record in his five starts with a 4.15 ERA and is second to Schultz with 38 strikeouts.
He is such a good player in Schultz’s eyes that Beck, who wears No. 20 for the Kee Hawks, reminds the legendary coach of another great No. 20 in Kee Hawks’ history — Shane Schellsmidt, who happens to be Beck’s older brother.
Schellsmidt, now the head baseball coach of the University of Dubuque, was an all-conference player from 1992-96 and a member of Kee’s 1992 state championship team.
“Shane was an excellent catcher and a good ballplayer, both offensively and defensively,” Schultz said. “And Shane, I think, instilled the work ethic that Andy has.
“(Andy) will work by himself and head over to the batting cages a few blocks away. He’s got a tee and a net in his shed at home so he can bat all winter. He does the extra stuff that you have to do to get ahead of others. That’s what you like to see.”
Josh Salm can be reached at (608) 791-8315 or at josh.salm@lee.net
