Friday March 29th, 2024
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Dan Bean

 

Dan Bean

USSSA Playing History

 

2015 Interview

Who are you playing with in 2016?
Taylormade

Why do you like the game of softball?
The competitive nature of playing any sport is what drives each of us.   The game of softball brings that to the forefront in the upper levels.   Most importantly, softball has given me the opportunity to meet new people from many different backgrounds and regions across the country.

What position do you play?
I would like to consider myself a Pitcher primarily.   I have also been fortunate enough to play 1B, Catch, and Outfield on various teams.

What is your nickname in softball?
With my last name being Bean, I’ve been called a multitude of things.   One of my favorites though was Frijole from my teammates on the West Coast.

Who is the best softball player you have ever seen play?
The best I’d have to say is Todd Joerling.   Seeing him play SS for the best teams in the country for years and then transition to 3B and still be one of the best is quite impressive.

Where do you call home?
I live in St. Charles, MO. A suburb of St. Louis.

What do you do for a living?
I am a Product Manager for Centurylink Business focused on Cloud Migrations.

Did you play sports in High School / College / Pro?
I played football, wrestled, and baseball in High School.   I also played 4 years of College baseball.

How did you get your start in softball and how did you get to the upper level?
I started playing softball with some friends.   We played in a tournament in February and got demolished by a team with upper level players.   I talked to them and asked what it took to get to that level and they helped me get there.   After 3 years, I got an opportunity to play in a NSA Major tournament because a team was short and never looked back.

What is your favorite sports team?
St. Louis Cardinals

What is your favorite sport other than softball?
Baseball

What is your most memorable softball moment?
Winning the NSA Super B World Series in 2009 with the St. Louis Swing.   I’ve never played in a tournament where we stayed up for over 40+ hours and had to overcome mental and physical exhaustion to that extreme.   Started playing the tournament at 12:00 midnight on Sunday and ended about 8:30pm that night after driving about 100 miles from the original location of the tournament.

Is slow-pitch softball a sport or a game?
Softball is more of a game to me.   Baseball was more like a sport because it was about 90% physical talent and 10% mental.   Softball is more like 80% mental and 20% physical.   It makes it much more of a “game” to play against yourself more than the other person or team.

What is the best improvement upper level softball could make?
I think that the compression limit for bats needs to be changed to something near 240 or 250 lbs., as opposed to the 220 lbs. currently used.  Today, bats are getting close to 220 lbs. after only 25-50 swings and failing shortly thereafter.  If the manufacturers agreed to this number change, the entire game would be closer to where everyone says they want it.  This would be a great improvement for USSSA, and all other associations as well.  Once all the associations are the on the same page (not likely), the overall game would improve starting with bats, and hopefully move on from there.

What is the best softball field/complex you have played at and why?
Michigan City, IN.  Fields are 330’ all around, infields are cut deep, perfect dimensions for softball with the technology we have.

What is your favorite non-World tournament?
Dudley or Smoky Mountain Classic

Tell us something about you that most would never know about you?
In the past 3 years I’ve had 4 heart surgeries, 2 knee surgeries, and 1 foot/Achilles surgery.  I have learned a whole lot about my body, and mentally tried to stay positive throughout the entire recovery process.







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One response to “Dan Bean”

  1. Ross H says:

    Great teammate and great person on and off the field. Bean is a gamer and would be a great addition to any team.

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