By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Familiarity can be a big key to success when adapting to a new role, a new job and a new life. For Blake Beck, who was recently hired as an assistant coach for the Tennessee Tech baseball team, his prior experience working with Golden Eagle skipper Steve Smith is sure to only aid in the continued development of the program.
Beck joins the Golden Eagles staff after spending the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season as the pitching coach at Jones College in Ellisville, Miss. Prior to his time at JC, he served at Auburn as the director of player development and a data analyst from 2017-19, working side-by-side with Smith during the 2018 and 2019 campaigns.
"It's really just a blessing to get to work with Coach Smith again," Beck explained about joining the Tech staff. "I felt like we had a really good working relationship at Auburn and had the opportunity to mentor some high-level pitchers; like Casey Mize, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB Draft. I feel like we nailed down a real plan to develop pitchers and I know that is a point of emphasis for him and this program. He really wants to be good at pitching and I just want to wake up every day and try to prove him right for trusting me with those pitchers."
"I'm really excited to have Blake join our staff," Smith expressed. "He is one of the bright, young pitching minds in college baseball and brings experience working in some of the top pitching programs in the country to Tennessee Tech."
During his time at Auburn, Beck saw the Tigers improve each season and got an early glimpse of the Golden Eagles in the 2017 NCAA Regionals in Tallahassee, Fla. Auburn edged the purple and gold, 5-3, in its match-up, relying on the future No. 1 overall pick, Mize, to lead the way before losing to the eventual regional winner and host Florida State.
"I believe we have to get the right guys in here, not necessarily the best, but guys who are us and fit our plan and system to pitch in such an offensive conference," Beck said of the challenge of being a pitching coach in a typically offensive-driven league. "Having been in Division I ball across multiple conferences in the past, I'm well aware of the OVC and its reputation. In 2017, we played Tech at the Florida State Regional, we threw probably our best arm against them and he had to throw a complete game because they hit so many home runs that year.
"It's just going to have to be about diving into the identity of each pitcher and figure out who they are, how their stuff sets up and how we will use that in the zone. Then we will work on developing our arms to strike guys out, because you have to miss the barrel."
The next season, in 2018, Auburn advanced to the Super Regionals behind 43 wins, eventually falling to Florida in a third and decisive contest in Gainesville. The team broke through in 2019, winning the Atlanta Regional hosted by No. 3 Georgia Tech and disposing of No. 14 North Carolina in the Super Regional for its first College World Series appearance since 1997.
Before joining the Tigers, Beck took the volunteer assistant coaching position at his alma mater, Troy, for the 2016 season.
From 2014-15, Beck served two years as the video coordinator at Mississippi State, where he completed all of the player analysis and assisted pitching coach Butch Thompson, who went on to become the head coach at Auburn, with the day-to-day operations of the Bulldog program. Additionally, Beck aided with on-campus recruiting as well as baseball camp operations and instruction.
"It's a dream to be a Division I pitching coach," Beck added. "I spent the last year at Jones, which is as Division I as a junior college can possibly get. They have an unbelievable set up there and [head coach] Chris Kirtland bringing me there really prepared me for this opportunity. When I left Auburn, Coach [Butch] Thompson told me I had a bright future ahead of me and to just keep my head down and work hard. When Coach Smith took the position here, I kind of thought in the back of my mind how nice it would be to work together again one day. Sixth months later he called and asked what I thought of this job and it was really just a no-brainer at that point. I'm just excited to get here and get going."
Beck also spent two seasons as a video coordinator at Troy, working for the Trojans as an undergrad with. In addition to his video responsibilities, he supervised team managers and led field maintenance operations. He also worked with the 2013 Troy team that went 42-20, won a Sun Belt championship and earned a spot in the NCAA Regionals.
He graduated in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in sport and fitness management. In 2016, he earned his master's from Mississippi State in kinesiology.
A native of Hamilton, Ala., Beck was a starting pitcher for two years at Shelton State Community College, where he had a career 2.67 ERA for the Buccaneers before becoming the video coordinator at Troy in 2012.
Beck is married to the former Brooke Davis and the couple have a daughter, Addie Blake.
