Student-Athlete Spotlight: Sander Beck
3/26/2012 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 26, 2012
By Sean Ellenby, Maryland Athletics Media Relations
On a slow mid-summer morning last June, University of Maryland pitcher Sander Beck received a phone call that instantly turned a dream into reality. On the other end of the line was the Baltimore Orioles front office, notifying Beck that it would be selecting him in the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
The selection became official later that day as the Severna Park, Md., native was picked in the 33rd round.
Beck had made it.
Yet, despite the enticing opportunity to fulfill his dreams by signing with his hometown team and favorite professional ball club, Beck felt he had unfinished business at the University of Maryland.
After discussing the matter of staying or leaving with both his family and head coach Eric Bakich, the senior quickly determined that he wanted to finish both his academic career and playing career as a Terrapin.
"I really wanted to work towards my degree a little bit more and we've got a lot of work that we haven't finished here [on the baseball diamond]," Beck said. "I had to take a little time to think about it being my hometown team and everything, but it was a relatively quick decision to come back to Maryland."
Bakich equates Beck to the ultimate teammate - a player that can be counted on to lead others both on and off the field. Beck's decision to stay at Maryland reinforced Bakich's high opinion of him as a leader.
"When he decides to hold off on professional baseball because he wants to continue to contribute to his college team and he knows that great things can be accomplished, that speaks volumes to the type of leader he is," Bakich said.
In addition to rededicating himself to his schoolwork this year, Beck was selected to the Maryland baseball Leadership Council as a result of his dedication to the club.
"The Leadership Council was a great honor when Coach announced I was selected for that," Beck said. "I really like telling all the younger guys all the advice I can and it's just nice to be in a position where I can bestow some wisdom on numerous topics - school, baseball, everything like that."
Beck has enjoyed early success this season, compiling a 2.25 ERA through six appearances as part of one of the ACC's best pitching staffs. But triumphs haven't always come easy for the right-hander at the Division I level.
After an outstanding prep career at the Severn School in which he lettered all four years, Beck quickly noticed the difference in the pace of the game between high school and collegiate baseball.
"In high school you can sort of go a little bit slower and things are a little bit easier, but when you get to the Division I level, things are faster and you really have to be prepared every day," Beck said.
The hurler struggled to catch up to speed early in his career, posting a 5.40 ERA as a freshman followed by a disappointing sophomore campaign in which he went 0-8 with a 7.38 ERA.
"That was definitely a learning year," Beck said. "I think I was more of a thrower back then - I would just sort of try to throw every pitch as hard as I could and didn't really understand the meaning of why I was throwing certain pitches."
Determined to put the tumultuous second season behind him, Beck worked relentlessly with pitching coach Sean Kenny in the offseason to better understand why he was throwing certain pitches and to formulate a better routine overall.
The fruits of his offseason labor were quickly apparent in his junior campaign as Beck earned a spot in the weekend rotation and struck out a career-high 11 batters in his first outing against Army. He finished third on the team with 58 strikeouts and fourth with 58 innings pitched.
Carrying over into this season, Beck ditched his style of developing results-oriented goals based on statistics in favor of a simple goal of getting better every day.
"This year one of my biggest goals is just to ask myself before I go to sleep if I am proud of what I did today," Beck said. "If I can say yes, then I know I'll be prepared moving forward."
In addition to his personal goals, Beck has high hopes for Maryland baseball. After three seasons in which he has yet be a part of a winning team, the Terrapins are 16-9 and he believes the program has turned the corner.
"When we play well, we can compete with everybody I think," Beck said. "I think this year just the mentality is there. We've just got to stay focused on one game at a time and I think the sky is the limit."
Life after collegiate baseball is clearly bright for the right-hander. After wrapping up his business degree this May, Beck is focused on the MLB draft, but is also exploring other options in case baseball does not work out.
"I'd like to maybe get into being an assistant strength coach and learning some management techniques from a guy I know back home or maybe getting some marketing internships," Beck said.
Regardless of the future, Beck is primarily focused on finishing an unforgettable college career at the University of Maryland.
"People told me before coming here it was going to be the best four years of my life and that's honestly what it's been," Beck said. "Just the friendships that you make and the teammates - it's been awesome."
