The Daily Standard
Story Archive
Minster senior Nathan Beair, seated center, will attend Mount Vernon Nazarene University and play baseball for the Cougars next season.
Minster's Nathan Beair will continue his baseball career at NAIA Mount Vernon Nazarene after announcing his commitment on Wednesday.
Beair, who also starred for the Wildcats on three state-tournament golf teams, said baseball was his main passion.
"Ever since I could pick up a bat, baseball has been my sport," he said. "I've just been in love with it. As far as golf goes, that was just always my release. When I was getting tired of baseball a little bit, I could just pick up my golf clubs, go to the course, and just play with my friends."
Beair was hitting .250 heading into Saturday's game against Oakwood at Day Air Ballpark in Dayton, scoring 18 runs and driving in 16. He's also brought versatility to the Wildcats this year, filling in at catcher amid injuries and pitching 21 1/3 innings with a 2.95 ERA.
At Mount Vernon Nazarene, he hopes to play second base, but said he's ready to play wherever he can find an opportunity.
"Playing collegiate baseball and just getting to the next level has always been my goal," he said. "I'm just really happy to have achieved that goal now."
Beair's college choice came down to Mount Vernon Nazarene, Bluffton and Defiance, but Mount Vernon Nazarene checked all the boxes for Beair: it offered a strong engineering program - one that Beair described as "too good to resist" - and a rich baseball history.
As a bonus, former Wildcats teammate Johnny Nixon is in his freshman year with the Cougars, throwing 41 innings in 10 games.
"When I went on my visit there, I got the chance to sit down and eat with him, and he sort of gave me the rundown, just the school and the team and all that," Beair said. "Then afterwards, I've been texting with him, and he's been letting me know how things are, the great aspects of the school and the team. Having him as a resource has definitely been great, because I've been a teammate with him my whole life. He's helped teach me about the school and has helped me fall in love with it."
Mount Vernon Nazarene finished the regular season on a two-game winning streak, then split four games in the Crossroads League Tournament. Nixon got the start in the final game Saturday and pitched seven innings, allowing two runs and striking out four batters, but Saint Francis' Gavin Noble singled in the winning run with two outs in the ninth to end the Cougars' season at 24-26.
The Cougars had eight hits against Saint Francis but only managed two runs, and though they put up a .269 average as a team, only four regulars finished above .250.
"In my discussions with them and Johnny Nixon, they've said hitting is a big part of what they're looking for," Beair said. "They just need guys who can swing it, just put the ball in play hard and get hits for the team, and that's an aspect I'm going to focus on as I continue to practice."
Minster sits at 17-7 heading into the Division IV tournament, where the Wildcats are the third seed in the Coldwater district and host the winner of New Knoxville and Marion Local in the sectional final on Thursday.
Beair earned All-MAC honorable mention as the Wildcats reached the district semifinal last year before losing to Coldwater. The year before, they beat the Cavaliers in nine innings in the district semis before losing to Eastwood in the ninth inning in the final.
"My proudest accomplishment, honestly, is just the things we've done overall as a team," Beair said. "Going back to as early as when I fell in love with baseball and started playing with my friends, and seeing how far we've come, it's just greater than anything. It's greater than any win we could ever get, or than we have gotten so far. Just growing up with my friends, playing ball with them and having fun just like we always have, it's just been something that's been really special to me. That's definitely something I'll never forget."
