‘Baby of God’ Drew Beam pitches for Tennessee & his sister at School World Collection
By Kevin Mercer Jun 20, 2024
Tennessee pitcher Drew Beam, Feb. 20, 2022. (AP Photograph/John Amis)
The sector on the Males’s School World Collection in Omaha, Nebraska, has been whittled down to 2: No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 1 Tennessee. With every staff profitable on Wednesday, each the Aggies and Volunteers superior to the best-of-three sequence, the place a nationwide champion will probably be topped. Sport 1 is Saturday.
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Tennessee now boasts a formidable 58-12 report on the season and is the first No. 1 national seed to advance to the championship series since 2009. The Vols lead the nation with 178 house runs and are the primary staff in Division-I historical past to have 5 gamers with 20 or extra homers.
But in an effort to seal the deal within the championship sequence and seize this system’s first nationwide title, they are going to want the gifted proper arm of junior pitcher Drew Beam in opposition to a Texas A&M staff averaging 11 runs per game within the postseason.
Drew Beam’s curve is on POINT pic.twitter.com/mbIspd6x7B
— CHANNEL TN (@CHANNEL_TN_) June 17, 2024
The 6-foot-4, 208-pound Beam is a fixture within the Vols’ pitching rotation, having began 18 video games (tied for the staff excessive) and main the staff with 98.1 innings pitched. He’s gathered a 9-2 report with a 4.30 ERA and has allowed solely 25 walks in comparison with his 92 strikeouts. He’s appeared as soon as already in Omaha, in opposition to North Carolina, when he pitched for 5 innings and allowed 4 hits and one run while striking out seven within the 6-1 win.
General, Beam’s three successful seasons in Knoxville have landed him because the 63rd finest collegiate prospect in subsequent month’s MLB draft, according to MLB.com. Beam’s time with the Volunteers has coincided with a number of the finest seasons in program historical past, and he’s been an ideal piece to assist make these seasons occur.
But for Beam and his household, his 16-year-old sister, Carlee, claims she’s the explanation her brother landed within the excellent spot at Tennessee.
Carlee was 7 years previous on the time, watching Drew on the ballpark, when she made pals with one other little lady, Hannah, whose brother performed for an additional staff. Due to Carlee and Hannah, the households acquired to know one another, and thru that connection, Drew was given a possibility to play at Viper Baseball Academy in Huntsville, Alabama.
It was at Viper that the Tennessee teaching workers first noticed Drew play.
“That was God’s plan,” Drew told the Knoxville News Sentinel final month of his sister’s function in him ending up a Volunteer. “That’s what we are going to go along with.”
Carlee is now 16 and some of the personable, vivacious and devoted followers of Tennessee baseball. She’s used a wheelchair since she was 3, because of having a genetic illness generally known as spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) that impacts the central nervous system. It’s a dysfunction that causes muscular tissues to not obtain indicators and thus not develop correctly. There isn’t a identified treatment.
Carlee, who was first recognized at 2 years previous, has a sort of SMA that stops her from strolling and reduces life expectancy. But it has not prevented her from making pals with all of Drew’s teammates and coaches, and attending each sport she will be able to. Earlier than video games, at her common spot on the concourse, different gamers’ households repeatedly come as much as communicate to her. After video games, she usually makes her strategy to the sector to speak together with her “massive ole orange household.”
Carlee and Drew, as sister and brother, have a novel bond. Drew was solely 7 when Carlee was first recognized. Now 21, Drew continues to be impressed by Carlee’s grace in dwelling with SMA.
We’re able to cheer on @vol_baseball right now at their first house sport of the season! Hear how pitcher Drew Beam is flourishing as a pupil and an athlete whereas utilizing his voice to lift consciousness about his sister Carlee’s combat with spinal muscular atrophy. pic.twitter.com/5sBZ0cyAUj
— UT Knoxville (@UTKnoxville) February 21, 2023
Earlier than his sophomore season, Drew designed a glove with a particular purple shade — the colour for SMA consciousness.
“God has given him a coronary heart for his littler sister,” the siblings’ mom, Kelli, advised the Knoxville News Sentinel.
That purple glove, which implies a lot to him, stays in his locker. He says he’ll by no means do away with it.
“Folks have simply beloved on her,” Kelli mentioned of Carlee. “It’s simply persevering with to point out that irrespective of the place she is and no matter she is doing, she could be the sunshine. That’s what I inform my youngsters on a regular basis. … Persons are going to hopefully see the Lord in you however they’re additionally going to see that you’ve got pleasure in your coronary heart.”
Drew describes himself as a “Baby of God” in his Instagram bio and infrequently wears an “I’m Second” bracelet and a cross necklace. In fact, he wears an SMA-awareness bracelet too when he’s not on the mound.
A purple glove is definitely distinctive in baseball, and for Drew Beam, there’s a particular which means behind that shade.@drewbeam_ | #CureSMA | @CureSMA pic.twitter.com/6RrlibUoi8
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) April 5, 2023
As Drew and his teammates put together to face convention foe Texas A&M with a nationwide championship on the road, he’ll search to be a lightweight for God and for the SMA group. He is aware of Carlee will probably be.
Sport 1 of the best-of-three sequence in Omaha is scheduled for Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET and Sport 2 will probably be on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. If obligatory, Sport 3 will probably be on Monday at 7 p.m. ET.
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