Baseball signs Ruger Beck

Centerfielder is team's 13th recruit

Lions catch former Lake Worth Bullfrog

WAXAHACHIE, Texas  --  The recruiting class for the 2013 baseball team at Southwestern Assemblies of God University just grew with its 13th member.

Lions second year head coach Jonathan Shockley traveled to Fort Worth to sign Ruger Beck, a former player at Lake Worth High School. The 5-foot-7 centerfielder and catcher starred for the Bullfrogs, who are in District 7 of Class 3A. The town, on the northwest side of Ft. Worth, is named after the recreational lake they border.

The Frogs have gone 19-13, 12-18 and 14-15 in head coach Lance Standley’s three seasons, including the district championship in 2010, Beck’s senior year.

While ribbeting in green for the Frogs, Beck earned First Team All-District all four years. He was the Newcomer of the Year as a freshman, followed by the league’s Defensive Most Valuable Player in his sophomore campaign.

In his senior year he was named the district's Co-Offensive MVP. He made his mark as a solid centerfielder and a highly effective hitter.

“Ruger (ROO-ger) Beck is one of the most competitive athletes I have ever coached in 17 years,” Coach Standley said. “His love for the game and his instincts as a baseball player are unmatched.”

Very little gets past Beck

Beck was a teammate with Lions' current player Donovan Vess in 2009. As difficult as Vess is for opposing pitchers to strike out, Beck may be even tougher.

During his senior year for the Frogs, Beck played in 30 games and had over 100 plate appearances. He batted .537, ripping over 50 hits and scoring 40 times. He swiped 29 bases and drove in 19 runs. A .663 slugging percentage revealed more speed than power.

But the most impressive number in his statline was 2. Beck struck out only two times, meaning he puts the ball in play. More often than not, he puts it where there are no fielders.

Doug Castleberry, who was a coach at Lake Worth, also sang the praises of Beck. “A great kid that is destined for success because he doesn’t accept failure,” he stated this week. “He works exceptionally hard to achieve the things he puts his heart into. Baseball is his avenue to share his talent with us.”

Set to study Sports Management, Beck has a knack for getting on base. His speed thrills on the basepaths as well as fueling his defensive prowess in the outfield.

“We are very happy to have him coming to SAGU,” expressed Coach Shockley. “He will not only fit in on campus, but his skills could be perfectly suited for our needs. He has a great knowledge of the game and is a very good hitter.”

He attended Sul Ross State University (Alpine, Tx), where Bobby Mesker is the head coach of the NCAA Division III Lobos. A broken collarbone cut short his chances to play in the Big Bend region of West Texas.

About coming to Southwestern, Beck was quite positive. “I feel that I have the talent and work ethic needed to be a great ballplayer. The opportunity provided at SAGU is simply God’s way of enabling me to live out my dream and get an awesome education along the way.”

Ruger is the son of Shane (dad) and Casey (mom). He has four sisters; Kresha Suniga, Erin Beck Hernandez, Mallory Cantu and Babe Beck.

The Lions graduated their entire outfield and expect strong competition for the three starting positions and key reserve roles. Beck figures to play a prominent part in the fight to earn a first string berth.

Southwestern is a Division I member in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics as well as the National Christian College Athletic Association.

They compete in the Red River Athletic Conference, which has 15 schools who are from four states; Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and New Mexico.

Players report for fall camp on September 24. An alumni game will precede a weeklong World Series of intra-squad contests. The Lions regular season is currently set to begin with four-games against Hillsdale College in Moore, Oklahoma

SAGU will begin playing their home games on campus. The team’s practice field has been shifted and resurfaced and has new dugouts and other new features.

Contact: Mark "Link" Warde, SAGU Sports Information Director, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 469-658-2847.

Players are listed alphabetically.
All high schools are in Texas except for Dakota Pruitt’s.
*or Birthplace.