Gage Beaber setting new standard for stolen bases

Genoa’s Thomas Cooley had 46 stolen bases during the 2000 season, which is 14th all-time in Ohio, Adam Grof (Oak Harbor) had 45 in 2007, and Jason Emch (Genoa) had 41 in 1995.
 
Beaber had added two more steals Tuesday as pitcher Dylan Dorfmyer improved to 4-3 on the season and Sam Kohler smacked a two-RBI home run in the win over the Lakers.

Gibsonburg improved to 15-5 overall and 4-3 in the Toledo Area Athletic Conference. Beaber is batting .429 and has scored 32 runs, also a school record. He has set the schools’ career mark of 78 runs, breaking the previous mark set by Cody Fisher, and hit 97 career hits broke a previous mark held by Brett Diekman.

But it’s in stolen bases that he is light years ahead of the others. In a contest against Old Fort this season, he stole seven bases, which is the second most stolen bases all-time during a single game statewide, according to Ohio High School Athletic Association records.

The most stolen  bases in a single game is owned by Genoa’s Thomas Cooley, who stole eight bases against Gibsonburg in a Suburban Lakes League contest on May 12, 2000. Steve Shue of Sheffield Brookside also stole eight bases in a single game during the 2000 season. There are only two others in Ohio who have stolen seven bases.

 
“(Gage) has got great speed and is a great competitor, first and foremost, and he’s pretty instinctive on getting a jump and he’s very aggressive, too. He’s very fast and that would be the first thing,” Gibsonburg coach Kyle Rase said. “It has been great luxury to pencil someone in with his speed and competitiveness at the top of the line-up every day.
 
“There are times when he knows he can take it, to take it, and there are other times when I give him the sign and he knows the situation. I trust his judgment on a lot of things just because he’s played four years and can make good decisions. He knows, and we’re on the same page. These are all legit stolen bases.”
 
Rase likes to play small ball anyways, to force the defense to execute, so Beaber’s speed fits right into his scheme.
 
“I think you are always putting pressure on people to make a play, and have to field it, and when you have someone on base stealing, too, the infielders are going to cover the bases on top of that,” Rase said.
 
Beaber was totally unaware of the records until Rase told him this past week. All he wants to do is win games.
 “It means a lot, but as long as we are winning, it really doesn’t matter how I perform,” Beaber said.
 
Beaber has displayed his speed on the basketball court, where he has been named Alan Miller Jewelers All-Press first team the past two years. Last year, as a junior, he was Player of the Year. Next year, he will be playing basketball at Trine University.
 
He’s not the only one producing big numbers for Gibsonburg offensively. Andrew Cantrell is batting .444 with 21 RBIs, Nick Williamson is hitting .361, Matt Molina is at .347 with 20 RBIs, Kohler is batting .344 with 18 RBIs, and Tristain Palmerton is batting .342 with 18 RBIs, and Leroy Need is batting .319 with 14 RBIs.
 
That’s seven players who are batting above .300, so if Beaber can get himself into scoring position, there is a good chance that whoever is at the plate can knock him in. Beaber says he tries to get on base any way he can, and he has a .506 on base percentage, a .543 slugging percentage, and has walked nine times.
 
“Gage is on the top of the lineup, and if he gets on, with his speed he moves on base pretty quick and the guys behind him have been hitting, so it’s worked out well for us,” Rase said.
 
“We’ve got a lot solid hitters that can make contact,” Beaber added.
 
Logan Jones is batting .298 with 16 RBIs, so he could potentially be over .300 before the season is out. Plus, Rase says Jones is pitching well this season.
 
Jones is 4-1 on the mound with 51 strikes to only 15 walks and sports a 1.77 ERA in 27.2 innings pitched. Three others are putting up good numbers — Dan Mendoza (3-0, 1.78 ERA, 22 K, 7 BB, 23.2 IP), Dorfmeyer (2.38, 34 K, 16 BB, 35.1 IP), and Gabe Hickman (3-1, 2.75 ERA, 25 K, 10 BB, 20.1 IP).
 
That’s enough to keep Gibsonburg running smoothly in its new league — the Toledo Area Athletic Conference. In its prior league, the Suburban Lakes League, the Golden Bears always used its competition against bigger schools to its advantage in the tournament.
 
In 2005, Gibsonburg became the first team to win a state championship with a losing record (14-17), defeating Fisher Catholic 6-5 in the final. During the season, the Bears had struggled to win games in the SLL.
 
Rase recalls during a 10-year span, four SLL teams (Genoa, Lake, Elmwood, Gibsonburg) reached the state final four. But, he doesn’t believe the Golden Bears are missing a beat in the TAAC.
 
Ottawa Hills is ranked 20th in Division IV in the state coaches poll, and Northwood has also gotten votes in that poll.
 
“Northwood and Ottawa Hills, they are good, and Stritch — they are solid. They played well against us in a game we hit it right at them a lot,” Rase said.
 
“I like (the TAAC). Ottawa Hills is really good this year, but their record doesn’t show it because of the teams they play. The biggest difference between the conferences is that you have Ottawa Hills and Northwood that are really good, but you have some teams at the bottom that are a lot weaker.”

 

 

 
 

 

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