Two of the Best

Eagles make waves, battle adversity

Right now, J.I. Clements Stadium is home to two guys many would say are two of the best college baseball players in the nation.

Whether it’s the offense of Victor Roache, a right-handed slugger who has battled injury throughout his career, yet hit 30 home runs in 2011 to lead all of Division I, or the pitching of Chris Beck, who tossed a complete-game, three-hit shutout against Samford in the 2011 Southern Conference Championship game and has become one of the nation’s elite pitchers, the Eagles know talent when they see it.

“We were fortunate to get them on campus, and that’s the big key here,” said Georgia Southern University head coach Rodney Hennon. “If you can get kids on campus, this University sells itself.”

Both players have come a long way since becoming Eagles in 2010, and they both had a similar journey on the way to a breakout sophomore campaign in 2011.

DRAWN TO SOUTHERN
When Georgia Southern assistant coach Mike Tidick and former pitching coach Jason Beverlin took a trip to Dayton, Ohio, in July 2008 to check out some high-school talent, they hit paydirt, finding Victor Roache of Ypsalanti, Mich., a heavy hitter who wasn’t quite yet on the radar of the high-major, Division-I programs.

“A lot of schools all of a sudden came at me pretty fast,” said Roache about the recruiting process in 2009. “A majority of them were in Michigan. There were a couple schools in Indiana and a couple in Ohio, but not many schools down South. Georgia Southern was on me from the beginning and I thought, ‘Hey, I want to get away. This could be my chance.’”

Beck played his prep ball 15 minutes away from the University of Georgia at Jefferson High School, and went against the tide of fellow JHS graduates.

“It’s usually big around there,” said Beck, who was heavily recruited by the Georgia Bulldogs. “You just go to Athens. A lot of guys I know try to walk on over there, but not me. I wanted to come to Georgia Southern.”

EARLY STRUGGLES
In a 2010 lineup with senior heavy hitters Kyle Blackburn (.353, 17 home runs) and A.J. Wirnsberger (.328, 10 home runs), Roache started 43 of 58 games and hit .252 while scrapping together eight homers, including two grand slams during his freshman campaign. He battled leg injuries throughout the end of the season and into the 2010 SoCon Tournament, and broke his leg during the offseason.

Like Roache, Beck faced freshman struggles in 2010. Early in his career, he took his lumps in starts against then-No. 7 Clemson and then-No. 3 Georgia Tech. Beck battled injuries of his own through his first season at Georgia Southern, appearing in just 12 games as a freshman.

“We kind of went through the same rocky road, struggling and having an inconsistent season as freshmen,” said Beck, knowing full-well what would be expected from himself and from Roache in 2011. “We both came back to the same thing – the focus was on you to lead the team even though we were both sophomores. I really think that was when we started to mesh. We were a part of each other’s season, and seeing what Victor did
(in 2011) was amazing to watch.”

TURNING HEADS
Roache exploded onto the stat sheet in 2011, but remained quiet in the dugout. If the Eagles were going to win their second SoCon title in three years, Hennon needed Roache to do more than look the part of a leader.

“For a big, physical guy like that, Victor’s soft-spoken,” Hennon said of the 6-foot-1, 225-pound slugger. “You can be the nicest guy off the field, but when you get between the lines, it’s time to get a little nasty and carry yourself like you’re the baddest guy around.”

Roache’s 30 homers in 2011 weren’t just amazing because of the newly-designed NCAA bats, implemented to better simulate wood. They weren’t just amazing because only five other players out of the NCAA’s 292 Division-I programs hit more than 20. And they weren’t just amazing because they were the most in a single season in Georgia Southern history.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the stat was that Roache hit more home runs in 2011 than 164 entire Division-I teams. Virginia, the 2011 Atlantic Coast Conference champion, collectively hit only 25.

Beck filled up the stat sheet, too, finishing the 2011 season ranked 28th in the nation with 109 strikeouts in 103 innings.

“He made up his mind that whenever he was going to get that ball,” Hennon said, “he was going to be ready to go out there and get the job done.”

Beck tossed a complete-game shutout in the 2011 SoCon championship game against Samford. From Wednesday to Sunday at the tournament, Beck threw 234 pitches in 17 innings, struck out 22 and allowed only eight total hits and one earned run in two starts.

Four days after the end of Georgia Southern’s 2011 season, Beck and Roache left for Boston, Mass., to play as teammates with the Cotuit Kettleers in the Cape Cod League, a showcase for the nation’s best talent. The trip served as a bonding Eagles make waves, battle adversity experience for the pair of Eagles.

“We had a 21-hour drive up to Boston together, Beck said. “We got to know each other off the baseball field even more than we already did. We played on the same team in Cape Cod, we played in the All- Star game, and we really got to share in every experience together. That’s where best friends are made.”

Roache, the recipient of the Most Outstanding Prospect Award, was second in the league in homers (6) and runs batted in (28). Beck was fifth in strikeouts (41) and sixth in earned-run average (2.12).

Roache homered over the Green Monster during the All-Star Home Run Derby at Fenway Park of the Boston Red Sox, and Beck pitched a scoreless inning in the Cape Cod All-Star Game.

“Either I wasn’t nervous,” Beck said about pitching in Fenway, “or my heart was beating so fast I couldn’t tell.”

A BUMP IN THE ROAD
Roache ran into more adversity at the start of the 2012 season. He broke his wrist and was knocked out of action during just the sixth game of the season.

“He’s a strong person. He’s made of the right stuff. He’s got a good perspective and he’s got great support at home with his mom and dad who have a great outlook on things,” said Hennon. “There’s no doubt in my mind he’ll work his way through this and be a stronger person from it.”

Roache continues to influence his teammates on the field.

“He’s all about the team,” said Beck. “With all the attention he’s had, he has handled himself the right way. He’s definitely a person I want to model myself after.”

—Matt Yogus