Johnie Logue
Sports Reporter
Life does not always give us a straight path to our goals and sometimes there are silver linings in our setbacks.
Jackson Beaman came out of Lincoln High School with a scholarship to play baseball for the Tigers at the University of Missouri; big stuff for a young man from a small town in the middle of rural Missouri.
He was injured on the last play of the last game for the Bismarck Larks. The Larks? How did he get there? By the way, the traveling team is located in North Dakota in case you were wondering. More on that in a moment.
Beaman redshirted at Missouri this season. He took a traditional redshirt his true freshman year with all of the Covid holdovers. He played his second year at Mizzou, but he was considered a redshirt freshman. He played in just eight games as Missouri had several good shortstops and a roster loaded with upperclassmen.
He also took a medical redshirt in 2023. So now, Beaman will be a 21-year old sophomore in 2024, for eligibility purposes. It seems unusual, but happens to be fairly common with the bonus Covid year allowed. It's not how he got there, but several 23-25 year olds are playing college baseball. Major League Baseball also cut their draft from over 50 rounds to just 20 because MLB cut 30 minor league teams from it's system. College rosters are full of older players, so it is usually very hard for freshmen to see the field.
This season for the Larks, Beaman has hit the ball with home run power and looks to be back on track. He never quit and the long road back could produce big dividends for the 2020 Lincoln grad. Beaman is no longer the lanky 6'2" kid that left Lincoln. He has beefed up some and has a bright future.
Below is the rest of his story.
JL-Tell me about your injury.
Jackson-I tore my ACL running to catch a ball in foul territory on August 4, 2022, in one of the last games of the summer season. It's been a long and difficult road back to playing, but the lessons and experiences I've learned from this process are something I wouldn't trade for the world and have ultimately made this rehab process the best thing that's ever happened to me.
JL-How much eligibility do you have left at Missouri?
Jackson-I have 3 years left of college eligibility, if I choose to expend them all.
JL-What are your thoughts on Coach Steve Bieser, who recruited you and your new coach Kerrick Jackson?
Jackson-I'm very thankful for coach Bieser and the opportunities he gave me at the University of Missouri. I hated to see him leave but I'm excited to play for Coach Jackson and win some games.
JL-Tell me about the Larks. How did that come about?
Jackson-This is my second season on the Bismarck Larks, a summer collegiate league team in the Northwoods League. Our head coach, Will Flynt, actually used to coach Johnny Eierman when he played Independent Baseball for the Windy City Thunderbolts and has become great friends with John Eierman, and John helped me get in contact with Will last year about playing for the Larks.
JL-They moved you to the outfield. How do you like that?
Jackson-I enjoy playing the outfield. I take great pride in being an asset on the defensive side of the ball and playing the outfield also allows me to focus a little bit more on my hitting.
JL-Has college been what you thought it would be?
Jackson-The college experience has been awesome. It's taught me a ton, helped me learn a lot about myself as well as turning me into a man. It's definitely not all sunshine and roses but it's been great preparation for the real world.
JL-We say you passed the Lincoln torch to Connor Lynde and Kyle Eckhoff. You must be very proud of what they have accomplished?
Jackson-I'm not sure that I passed the torch to them. My grade had a lot of great players who they might've looked up to, but I've always enjoyed watching Connor and Kyle compete. They're both two great kids that work very hard and have a ton of ability. I'm very proud of what they've done in their high school careers in Lincoln and wish them tons of success as they prepare to both play ball in college.
JL-As we also wish Jackson the very best.
