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Chuck BealeTift County High SchoolTifton, Georgia by Robert Preston, Jr. photography by Jonathan Chick |
Chuck Beale, head baseball coach at Tift County High, is a baseball lifer. From the time he was a youngster, it’s all he’s ever known.
The son of a baseball coach, Coach Beale began playing at an early age, and he continued playing for as long as he could. That included playing for two years at Middle Georgia College, where he helped take the Warriors to the Junior College World Series his sophomore year. After finishing at Middle Georgia, he transferred to Valdosta State, where he made an appearance in the Division II World Series. Interestingly, neither of his teams won either World Series; however, the year after he left both schools, they returned to their respective World Series and won. “I wasn’t on the field for either win, but it was still a good feeling,” he remembers. When he finished at Valdosta State he spent some time in the minor leagues. Once his playing days were over, there was only one thing to do– follow his father’s footsteps into coaching. Now, 32 years later, he loves it just as much as he did that first season. “I can’t imagine doing anything else. It’s what my whole family has done,” he says. And it’s what his whole family is continuing to do. He has an older brother who is coaching at Lincoln County, a son teaching at Johnson, a younger brother at Evans, and another son, Rusty, who is an assistant with Tift. Coach Beale is eight years into his second stint with the Blue Devils, and his sixth year as a head coach. Of his three-plus decades in coaching, 16 have been as a head coach. Going into this season, he had a 304-126-2 record. As a result, his approach to baseball hasn’t changed much over the years. Baseball is still baseball and the formula for success– hard work and preparation– has remained fairly constant. But that doesn’t mean Coach Beale has become complacent in his approach to coaching. “I try to keep up with new methods. I’m always talking to other coaches and asking questions, and I’m willing to pick up something new. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t,” he says. “We work hard and try to prepare the kids the best we can and make adjustments as needed.” The life of a baseball coach isn’t easy. Baseball is a year ‘round sport these days, between the spring season, summer ball, fall leagues and, of course, the various and sundry travel teams that are out there. In addition to coaching baseball, Coach Beale helps with the women’s softball team and teaches at Tift County High. It’s a hectic schedule, yet Coach Beale has no plans on slowing down. He loves the game and the kids too much. “I enjoy being with the kids. You get close to them and you enjoy being around them. It’s not just the baseball players. If we lose a game one night, when I walk in my class the next morning I can’t dwell on that loss. I have to start teaching and work with those students. It keeps you young,” he says. |
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Motivating teenagers can be a trick exercise. Coach Beale says his goal is to teach them to focus once they step between the lines. If they’ve had a bad day or something is bothering them, they aren’t going to be able to fix whatever it is when they are on the baseball field. “They have to be able to set aside distractions,” he says. Coach Beale is also careful to keep things positive around his players. He wants them to be successful, and he has fun when they achieve a goal or reach a milestone. Remaining positive fosters the kind of atmosphere that helps more and more kids succeed. “Baseball and any extracurricular activity provides discipline, camaraderie and helps kids develop their interests. And it’s fun to see the kids experience success,” he says. His teams have definitely been successful. In two of the last three years Tift has made the playoffs. Three years ago, the Blue Devils advanced to the Elite Eight. This season Tift lost several seniors and is still trying to fill a few spots. The 2009 team is built around pitching and defens – which is the basic baseball building-block at all levels. Shortstop Chance Veazy, who has already signed with the Georgia Bulldogs, anchors the Tift defense. “He’s a good player in all phases of the game. His teammates voted him team captain at the beginning of the year,” says Coach Beale. Other players who should make an impact this year include Thomas Burtle, Ryan Moore, Hunter McCallister and Ron Casey. Coach Beale also mentioned sophomores Tate Bullard and Seth Mann. In his 32 years coaching, Beale has had the opportunity to see a number of players sign pro contracts. One of his former players, Brian Mallette, whom he coached when he was at Dublin, was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 27th round in 1997, according to baseball-reference.com. Mallette played five games for the Brewers in 2002. In July of that year, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers and ended up playing in the Reds’ and Pirates’ organizations before his career ended. Nick Green, who played for Coach Beale at Tift, is currently in the minors and has a good chance to make the big leagues. Both of Coach Beale’s sons played professionally as well. Chuck, Jr. spent four years with the Red Sox organization as a right-handed pitcher. He finished his career with a 9-15 record and a 3.84 ERA, according to baseball-reference.com. His younger son, Rusty, played one year in the Reds’ farm system, winning the Rookie League championship. “It’s special when kids move from high school baseball to college ball. Only a select few get to play professionally. Then to make it to the major leagues– that’s very hard. You have to be in the right place at the right time. It’s a real tribute to those players,” he says. Staying in the game for 32 years is a real tribute to Coach Beale and his love for both baseball and kids. He learned the game from his father and has passed it down to his children and the children of thousands of others, and it doesn’t look like he’s about to stop anytime soon. • | |
January 2012
Robert Preston Jr. 
Micki K Photography 
