South Georgia - In The Game High School Sports Magazine

Most pitchers never throw a no-hitter, not even in local recreation leagues.  Eighth Street Middle School seventh-grader Ben Weaver already has two: one that he threw in Tifton’s rec league and another in a weekend tournament in Cordele. The 12-year-old eats, breathes and lives baseball. He started when he was seven years old and hasn’t taken much time off since. A few years ago, Ben played a little football, mainly as a defensive end and tight end, but decided football wasn’t for him. “I didn’t really like football. I didn’t want to get hurt,” he says. An injury would interrupt his baseball career, and Ben doesn’t want anything to get in the way of baseball.

Initially, Ben played first base or catcher. As soon as his travel team started playing kid pitch, Ben moved to the mound. These days, when he’s not pitching he’s playing over at third base. Though Ben has enjoyed a great deal of success as a pitcher, it’s not his favorite position on the field. He would rather play at third; not because he just loves third base, but because he likes to hit. “When I’m pitching, I can’t hit. I’d rather play third and be able to hit,” he says.

Ben is one of those kids who plays baseball practically all year. He competes with his travel team summer through winter, taking time to play with Eighth Street Middle during the spring. Ben doesn’t feel compelled or forced to play baseball. He genuinely loves the game and would rather be on the baseball field than anywhere else. “If I had a choice between getting $1 million or playing baseball, I’d choose baseball,” he says. Ben plays baseball the right way – he keeps his head in the game and knows what’s going on around him. He stays cool under pressure and trusts in his training and love for the game.

Two good examples of his poise in the clutch are the no-hitters he threw last year. The first one came on May 19 when he was playing a game in the local leagues in Tifton. Neither Ben nor his teammates knew he was dealing a no-hitter; as such, they didn’t invoke the typical treatment that pitchers who are throwing no-hitters receive. “My teammates didn’t ignore me. They kept talking to me just like they always do,” he says. Ben knew he was pitching well, and his team was playing airtight defense behind him. He just didn’t know how well he had thrown until about 20 minutes after the game. “That’s when I found out I had thrown a no-hitter,” he laughs. In addition to no-hitting his opponents, he also struck out 15 in the six-inning game.

The second no-hitter was a couple of months later during a tournament at the Cordele complex. Ben was playing with the Tifton Plowboys. He was facing the Tifton Storm, his former team. This time, he  knew  he  had  a  no-

hitter the whole time. Interestingly, his teammates refused to isolate Ben during the game. They talked and laughed and cut up the entire time. Their interaction helped Ben keep his emotions in check. He was aware of what was happening, but he refused to dwell on the no-hitter. He simply went out there inning after inning and threw strike after strike. “I didn’t get cocky. I just kept pitching,” he says. With two outs in the sixth inning, Ben ended up running the count to 2-1. He didn’t panic and just did what he had done the entire game. He ended up getting the batter to ground out to third for the final out. “That’s when we got excited – after that final out,” he says.

Ben is also capable of doing some special things with the bat. Remember – he loves to hit, and he wouldn’t enjoy the offensive aspect of the game if he didn’t have some talent with the bat in his hand. Last year, during a two-day tournament in Tifton, Ben stepped up to the plate in his last at-bat of the first day and homered. In his first at-bat the following day, he homered again. “I hit back-to-back home runs over two games. That was kind of cool,” he laughs.

As much as Ben loves playing baseball, he’s also a big fan of the game. He loves the Atlanta Braves and enjoys watching the Braves play. He has been to one game, on his birthday, and watched Atlanta lose to the Nationals. Ben is also a big fan of Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria and Philadelphia lefty reliever J.C. Romero. “They’re good players and I like the way they play,” comments Ben.

Ben maintains an interesting perspective on the game he so dearly loves. He has a great time playing and enjoys being in the moment. However, he also has larger goals in mind and is planning for the future – though he’s still over a year away from high school ball, much less college. Ben wants to play for Eighth Street Middle as an eighth-grader. Once he reaches high school, he plans to play for Tift County High. “I want to keep getting better and maybe get the attention of some scouts,” he says. When asked whether he’s talking about pro scouts or college scouts, he said either one will do. “I’d like to get a pro contract but if I don’t, I want to play in college.”

By the time this edition hits the streets, the middle school season will be a couple of weeks old. However, at the time of this interview, the first game was still almost a month away. The team had only been practicing for a few days, and Ben’s coach at Eighth Street Middle, Bruce Begue, hadn’t spent a great deal of time with him. But so far, Coach Begue likes what he sees. “He’s got a lot of potential. He throws hard and he throws strikes. He’s got to get his mechanics down, but he has good control. He’s also got a good swing,” says Coach Begue.

Ben is taking of business in the classroom as well as on the field. He’s a solid A/B student who has never made a C on his report card. He says that balancing school and baseball can be a difficult proposition, but he’s determined to keep up his grades. “Baseball and school can get hectic,” he says, “but it’s manageable.”

Between baseball and school, Ben doesn’t have much time to do anything else. If he’s not at school, he’s doing something baseball-related. “Baseball takes up so much time,” he says. But, at least to Ben, it’s time well spent. •