Friday March 29th, 2024
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An interview with Eric Beattie!

 

 

 

Eric Beattie

USSSA Playing History

GoSoftball.com Player Page

Who are you playing with in 2015?
No one…Played with Scene in 2013 and 2014

What positions do you play and what is your best position?
OF

Who is the best softball player you have ever seen play?
I love the way Brian Wegman plays…Great defense, great offense, seems to not think he is bigger than the game, and seems to be a great teammate. I could be wrong but thats my observation.

Why do you like the game of softball?
Baseball has been my favorite thing to do since I was about 3 years old. My baseball career is over so the next best thing is softball. I love competing and being able to compete at the highest level of anything is a great feeling.

Who is the best up and coming player in softball and why?
Thats a hard question to answer but I think I would have to say either Stephen Lloyd or Ryan Harvey. Lloyd plays great defense and hits for average at will as well as hits homeruns at will. Harvey has played for 1 year and the ball comes off his bat harder than any other player I have seen. He worked a lot this year on being a more well rounded hitter and I think that will pay off. His average, which was very good, will even get better as he gets better and more comfortable hitting down and hard. His effort to get better was impressive and appreciated. I'm sure the rest of the scene players would agree.

Both Lloyd and Harvey shut up and let their bats and gloves do the talking. they both hustle a lot and are great teammates from what I have seen.

What is your nickname in softball and how did you get it?
Don't have one

What is your height and weight?
6'3 205lbs

Where do you call home?
Dover, Florida which is about 10 miles east of Tampa

What's your favorite way to spend an off weekend?
My wife and 3 yr. old son are the two most important things in my life and anything we do together is the way I love to spend my weekends. My son loves to hit in the cages so we do that often.

What do you do for a living?
PE teacher and head baseball coach

Did you play sports in High School / College / Pro?
Played 2 years in high school
3 years at University of Tampa
1 year in cape cod league
3 years with Tigers and 1 year with Red sox

How did you get your start in softball and how did you get to the upper level?
I started out playing in my church league, then 1/2 year in "E", 1.5 year in "D", 1 year in "C", 1/2 year with Jolt in "B", 2 years in "A"…Tony Albicocco gave me my first chance in the conference. Thanks Tony.

What was the most surprising difference between Conference play and non-Conference play when you made the jump?
Theres 0-1 weak spots in a conference lineup. Every once in a while theres a team with a hitter you can "count on" getting out.
Errors are capitalized on by the offense big time in the conference
Conference defense is noticeably better

Is there a player that you would compare your game to?
No

What would you say is your career highlight to this point? Maybe one play or game that sticks out to you in particular?
My biggest career hilight probably came in my baseball career. I was inducted into the University of Tampa hall of fame and the Cape Cod hall of fame this past fall.

I have not done anything in my softball career worth being incredibly proud of yet.

In your career was there a single person (player/manager/coach) who had the most significant impact on your approach to the game? Why?
Again I would have to give Tony credit for allowing me the opportunity to play at the conference level. Jason Leek got me my chance to "try out" for Tony so that was a big referral and I appreciate that.

I have a lot of respect for Ballard who is a great player and gets a lot of heat for doing some dirty work. He somehow finds a way to be able to play and play very well despite all the mental interruptions he sometimes has. It has helped me to realize that my problems in softball were much smaller than his so no excuse to not perform.

What advice can you give a young player trying to break into the upper level?
Consistency is definitely key…Don't be a turd and don't be a bad teammate

Dont let softball get in the way of your homelife. Put things into perspective and if its success in softball OR success in your family relationships…choose family. Seen a couple marriages go south due to softball and thats completely preventable

What type of batting grip do you use and what ounce bat?
both pinkys overlapped…27 ounce end load

What do you do in the offseason to prepare for the next softball season?
Weight train, sprint, some cardio and BP when I get a chance…Not very often unfortunately.

What is your favorite sports team and your favorite sport other than softball?
Tampa Bay Rays…Baseball

Do you have any superstitions and if so, what are they?
No

What would be your "at bat" music selection?
The Real Slim Shady – Eminem

What is the best improvement upper level softball could make?
I think it is pretty good. I would like to see umpires take less crap from players to make it a more tasteful experience for fans and families to attend.

What is your favorite non-World tournament and why?
Smoky or Cincinnati

What is the best softball field/complex you have played at and why?
Disneys fields are unmatched

Where is the best place to eat on the road after a game?
Chipotle or BWW

What is the funniest thing you have ever seen on a softball field?
Anytime a player swings and misses, I cant help but to laugh.

Tell us something about you that most would never know about you?
I'm pretty easy to read. What you see is what you get…I guess the one thing people might or might not know about me is that I know 100% that my wife and myself are going to Heaven when we die because we are both saved by God's grace through our faith. Hopefully soon my son will be able to say the same, and when our next kid is due in February, I Hope he or she can say the same later in his or her life. I Hope thats not a secret to too many but it probably is.

I got "the yips" and went from walking 1.3 / 9 innings in college to walking 27 / 9 innings in pro ball. Wierd

What was your favorite sports related gift you have ever given or received?
One of my best friends, Billy, came to my cape Cod HOF induction this past November and had a wood bat engraved with Cape Cod and UT logos on it and it had my name and HOF printed on the bat as well. That is something I will have forever and is an awesome reminder of two very important and significant times in my life.


 

One response to “An interview with Eric Beattie!”

  1. jbub says:

    sandbagger

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