Dyersville Beckman drops Jesup to return to state baseball tournament in Fred Martin’s final season as coach

CEDAR RAPIDS — Dyersville Beckman Coach Fred Martin received the Bill Parcells treatment from his players.

The Blazers caught him by surprise, dousing him with cups of ice water instead of the cooler full of Gatorade like the New York Giants used to drench Parcells with during celebrations. The effect remained the same though.

“Oh, mercy,” Martin said with a joyful gasp after the frigid shower that soaked the back of his shirt and covered his glasses with water droplets. “Mercy.”

Fourth-ranked Beckman defeated Jesup, 8-1, in the Class 2A Substate 4 title game Tuesday at Mount Mercy’s Plaster Athletic Complex, securing a state baseball tournament berth in Martin’s final season with the program. The Blazers earned their 19th state trip and first since winning the 2017 2A crown.

“This is it,” said Martin, who served as a longtime Beckman assistant before becoming co-coach with legendary coach and close friend Tom Jenk Jr. as he battled brain cancer in that last championship season. “It’s good to go down there for my last year. I’m looking forward to it. It’s good to get the kids down to state. They deserve it. They’ve worked so hard at it.”

Players snuck into position as family and friends milled around foul territory by the dugout, taking pictures and visiting about the victory. They executed the plan hatched by assistant coach Ryan Mabe.

“I loved the idea,” junior shortstop Nate Offerman said with a laugh. “I think he deserved it a lot. I hope he has a cold ride home.”

The swan song may have occurred last season, but Beckman lost a wild heartbreaker to Camanche in a substate final. Martin returned for a sixth season at the helm and the Blazers were determined to get the job done this time.

“The dude is a legend,” Beckman starter Nick Schmidt said. “You go around town and everyone knows Fred Martin and Tom Jenk.

“We couldn’t let him down. He deserves it. He belongs at the state tournament. Last year, we thought it might be his last year and we disappointed him a little bit. We weren’t going to let that happen again.”

Beckman (24-13) has moved into a second-place tie with West Des Moines Dowling, Sioux City Heelan and Lansing Kee with the most summer state tournament appearances. The Maroons host Linn-Mar Wednesday for a shot at No. 20.

The feat also was an indelible mark on the program’s storied tradition by the seniors, who are making their first state trek.

“Everybody’s dream this year was to go to state,” Owen Huehnergarth said. “Everyone was on the same track this year. We came together as a team. It was awesome.”

Jesup (20-7) capitalized on an errant throw to third that made its way out of play, allowing Parker McHone to score from first on Cale Schissel’s base hit to center in the bottom of the second.

Beckman answered immediately. Luke Schieltz led off the third with a double into left and scored when Offerman followed with an RBI single.

“I saw the ball really well tonight,” said Offerman, who finished 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a run. “It was there. High and out. My favorite pitch and I drove it over the second baseman’s head. That is probably my favorite hit there is.”

Offerman scored when Logan Burchard reached on a fielder’s choice, giving the Blazers a 2-1 lead and one they did not surrender.

“We were getting guys on base, but we weren’t taking good swings to start that game,” Martin said. “I knew we could jump on them. It’s stuff that we’ve seen.

“I never really got worried about it. I know we can hit the ball hard and we can hit it well. If we don’t walk guys or have errors, we’re a tough team.”

The lead was exactly what Schmidt needed to relax and start attacking Jesup batters. He stopped trying to pinpoint offerings and pitched to contact.

“Actually, I didn’t have my best stuff tonight,” Schmidt said. “Owen was throwing down signs and I knew that I just had to get it close. He’s a heck of a framer.”

Interestingly, Schmidt relied on his fastball early. His curveball started to be effective in the middle to late innings and his slider was there. He did discover another pitch Tuesday.

“I hadn’t been throwing a changeup all year and found that tonight,” Schmidt said. “Postseason brings out the weirdest stuff.”

Beckman pulled away with a four-run fourth. Matthew Florence led off with a single and scored on Eli Kluesner’s triple in the next at-bat. Schieltz and Offerman came through with a double and single for the second straight inning. Luke Sigwarth’s sacrifice fly plated Offerman for a 6-1 lead at the midway point.

Sigwarth added an RBI triple in the sixth and scored on a Huehnergarth groundout. The Blazers rapped 12 total hits. Offerman led the way with Schieltz and Florence adding two apiece.

“We have some guys that can just hit the ball hard,” Martin said. “If they get two strikes on them, they’re willing to go the other way. They don’t have to worry about hitting home runs with two strikes. They’ll take it the other way, if they have to. That’s why our average is up. We hit the ball where it’s pitched. That’s a big part of the game.”

The offense was plenty for Schmidt, who earned his sixth win of the season. Schmidt tossed a complete game, limiting the J-Hawks to one unearned run on four hits. He finished with six strikeouts.

“It gives me all the confidence in the world,” Schmidt said. “I can pitch to contact. Allow myself to throw fastballs in the zone because these guys are out here making plays. We got a little sloppy at the beginning of the game. That’s to be expected. It’s substate and nerves are running high, but once we got six runs put up on the board they were clean as can be.”

The 2A state quarterfinals are Tuesday at Carroll’s Merchants Park. Beckman’s opponent is to be determined.