COSHOCTON − Dawson Beckett, 9, was eager to hit a homerun this spring for not only the good of his team, but to earn a PlayStation 5 from his coach and father, Nick Beckett.
It was all he could talk about as his father laced up his cleats prior to a baseball game on fields behind Kids America. It’s Nick’s first year as a coach for the Coshocton Recreation League.
“It’s pretty good,” Dawson said with a slight smile about being coached by his father.
Nick and his wife, Brittany, of Coshocton have five children ranging from about a month old to age 10. Hudson, 6, also plays rec baseball. Nick, a lineman with Frontier Power, appreciates all the support he’s received from other coaches and fathers of players on the team.
“We’ve got a great group of kids and the parents have been phenomenal. I’ve got a lot of dads that have been helping me who are family oriented. That helps out a lot,” Nick said.
They love the game as much as their children, Nick continued. “That gets (the players) fired up.”
Have fun and be respectful
Nick pushes the mantra he learned from Scott Loomis, another coach and principal at Coshocton High School. Attitude, performance and effort, or APE.
“Respect is our biggest thing. When we come into the dugout, I ask the boys ‘what’s our number one rule?’ They say ‘have fun with baseball.’ I say what’s our next rule and they say ‘respect,'” Nick explained. “You respect the game, you respect each other, you respect your coaches and that carries a long way.”
Nick receives text messages all week with questions on the best training techniques and equipment to help the players excel. There are 13 players on the team and 12 games in the season.
“I love and respect them all just like my own kids,” Nick shared. “You treat them like your own. If they get hurt, you take a knee and make sure they’re okay. When they perform well, you clap for them, cheer for them and encourage them all the way through.”
‘Enjoy the little moments’
Nick encourages fathers to become coaches, citing the strong bonds built with players as well as deeper connections with their own children. In his first year, his favorite part has been seeing the players grow both on the field and as individuals.
“Going out and celebrating the wins have been wonderful. But the times that we lose, it’s one of those things where you take it on the chin and move on and correct some issues,” Nick said. “The boys practice and practice, then come out here and do their job and it’s absolutely wonderful to see how far each and everyone of them has come.”
Nick’s advise to a new dad and a new coach is about the same. “Expect the unexpected and enjoy the little moments, they go by extremely fast.”
Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 18 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @llhayhurst.
This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Coaching from the heart. Coshocton dad builds young team and memories
Reporting by Leonard L. Hayhurst, Coshocton Tribune / Coshocton Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Leonard L. Hayhurst, Coshocton Tribune | USA TODAY Network
