NCAA Division III Baseball National Pitcher of the week.
Cortland baseball pitcher Dylan Beers is a perfect example of the enthusiasm and commitment needed to be a successful athlete. Beers has developed into a star pitcher for the Red Dragons and a is role model for aspiring players with the help of his dedication and hard work.
Dylan Beers, sophomore pitcher for Cortland’s baseball team is turning heads ending his regular season with 55 strikeouts. As Beers shows off his talents on the Robert H. Wallace Field, he can’t help but think of the path that caused him to end up as a Red Dragon.
Let’s start from the very beginning, well sort of.
Beers had a clear passion for baseball from an early age. Beers put in all sorts of work, from studying the game to working on his mechanics, and practicing his pitches for hours, his work has clearly paid off. His coaches and family members saw early that he has a natural flair for the game because he showed it even at such a young age.
“Dylan always had a passion for the game, since we put him on a little league team he would come back from practice and was always excited about being picked first,” said Mr. Beers.
As Beers grew older, his commitment to baseball only grew. Giving up things like social gatherings and other activities to really concentrate on his training just showed how much he was willing to sacrifice in the process in order to succeed. These sacrifices were worthwhile to Beers because he knew his own perseverance and hard effort were pathways to achieving his long-term goals.
Dylan Beers was always surrounded by baseball since he began elementary school as well as baseball being a family favorite in the Beers household.
“It all stemmed from my dad. My dad was my biggest influence and baseball has always been a sport that ran in the family. I started off playing little league like every other kid, but I don’t think I realized I wanted to become a pitcher until I was around 8 or 9 years old,” said Dylan.
Beers expressed he always enjoyed playing baseball growing up, but little did he know where this fun extracurricular would take him, let alone add to his life and make him learn about who he truly is and aspires to be not just as a person but also as an athlete.
His hard work has paid off. Today, Dylan is a standout pitcher for Cortland making a name for his future seasons with the Red Dragons. Dylan mentioned he is constantly striving to improve his skills, analyzes his pitches, and looks for ways to tweak his technique.
“I have been fortunate enough to play with and coach Dylan. Dylan is a fierce competitor every time he steps on the field, whether its practice or game time, he always gives 100%. Dylan is an incredibly bright pitcher as he understands how to attack hitters using his strengths as a pitcher. Which is a big part of the reason he is having so much success. It is a pleasure watching Dylan grow and succeed as a player,” said assistant pitching coach, Zach Durant.
Baseball is more than simply just a game to Beers. It is more of an approach to life. He views it as an opportunity to express himself, to push himself to new heights and to interact with people who share his passion and enthusiasm for the sport. He appreciates the bonds that developed from being a team player and the sense of collaboration that comes from working towards a similar goal as his team members.
Beers has learned several important lessons thanks to his commitment to baseball. He now understands the value of having discipline, perseverance, and hard work. Additionally, he has discovered the importance of leadership, communication, and teamwork. And he aspires to use these abilities in the future, whether it be on the baseball diamond or on the other facets of life, to encourage and motivate not just himself but those around him.
“I’ve always been a hard worker, but I am definitely working the hardest I am right now,” said Beers.
When asking Beers if college baseball was always his end goal this made him stop and realize something.
“I’m not sure college baseball even crossed my mind until I reached the high school level when I saw a future in my pitching career and I was really just having fun and enjoying the game until I saw interest from colleges my sophomore year of high school,” said Beers.
“My first real accolade was my first year of high school. I was awarded MVP my freshman year. Sophomore year I was the 3rd starter for my high school’s varsity team, and I picked up a few wins. I was pitching at 85-90 mph at the age of 16. I threw a no hitter against Newburgh Free Academy which brought me lots of looks,” said Beers.
Everything seemed to be fitting into place for Dylan when little to Beers’ knowledge he would find himself in an awkward and uncomfortable conversation, leading to a major change.
During the process of colleges looking into Beers, one college in particular, was not impressed with his stats, and what he had to offer their team as a pitcher.
“The University of Maine straight up told me I was not good enough, not just for their team but for the entire division. This 100% drove my passion more and I wanted nothing more than to prove that one coach wrong, which I think I am succeeding in accomplishing.”
After having that tough conversation, Beers used this negative feedback not as a setback but instead used it as fuel in his need to succeed even more. Causing Beers to push even harder than he had before in his athletic career to reach a higher level of achievement as a pitcher.
After such a negative experience with the University of Maine, COVID came crashing down on Beers’ senior season, leaving him still missing out on one last final high school season, which he knew was looking very promising.
“After high school I committed to The University of Rhode Island to pursue my academic and athletic careers, but it was not what I expected it to be,” said Beers.
Beers explained, “I was committed to pitch at URI for a year when the head coach sat me down and long story short explained to me that he could not guarantee me playtime, and this left me distraught, but I knew I quickly needed to shift gears and keep moving forward.”
So, after much research and several college tours, Beers made the conscious decision to commit to playing baseball at SUNY Cortland and secured his spot as a Red Dragon.
Why did you choose to transfer to SUNY Cortland?
“I liked the fact that Cortland was a wining school and I saw the opportunity to become a part of something instead of remaining in the sideline, plus, I wanted to return back to New York,” said Beers.
How do you feel going from Division I baseball to Division III?
“I was and still am very happy with my choice. I have much more free time on my hands but at the same time I am still able to follow my passion with a much better support while also focusing on my academics,” said Beers.
As Beers went from being a Ram to becoming a Red Dragon, it is evident he made the right decision for himself and his goals.
During Beers’ 2022 season as a Red Dragon, he appeared in a total of 17 games. Beers posted a 3-2 record with one save and a 5.59 earned run average (ERA). Beers had a total of 31 strikeouts in 29 innings. Beers also tossed two perfect innings with a total of three strikeouts to earn a win against Bridgewater St. in playoffs.
What is something from last season that you remember?
“It was our regional game from last year. I went in to pitch after a slower start to the game and I was having a good appearance until I gave up a run. But I came back fired up even more. It was the beginning of the tenth inning when we hit a home run and went on a winning streak,” said Beers.
This 2023 season, Beers has brought lots of attention to the pitching field.
“My best accomplishment this season, maybe even in my life, would be the no-hitter I pitched against Oswego earlier on this season.”
This no-hitter against Oswego was a big deal for Beers as a pitcher but also for Cortland. It is the 21st in Cortland’s baseball program history and it is the first since 2018.
What were your thoughts and feelings during the no-hitter game against Oswego?
“When I was pitching, I tried not to think about the no hitter and how well the game was going for us as Red Dragons but I did not want to let the excitement get too much to me because I did not want to jeopardize the success as a team and jinx myself, so I stayed as focused as I could be,” said Beers.
The Red Dragons just wrapped up their regular season and here’s what Beers had to say.
“We started our season off very bad. We were not working as a team yet at that point in time of the season and it took lots of adversity to finally turn things around and begin winning games. I think we lost four or five games in a row, and I remember the coaches had no clue what to even say,” said Beers.
Beers even shared that him and his teammates actually gave themselves the nickname of “The Bad News Dragons”. This losing streak did not last much longer as they came back with a 17-winning streak after a very tough start of being 5-7.
This past weekend, Beers wrapped up his regular 2023 sophomore season. Beers played a total of ten games where he pitched in, ending with a total of eight wins and one loss. Beers threw in ten games for a total of 51.2 innings. Beers ended up giving up 27 hits, had 14 all earned runs, an earned run average (ERA) of 2.44 and a total of 55 strikeouts.
“Although I’ve seen success as a Red Dragon, I am not done yet, if anything it’s only the beginning. I’m only a sophomore right now.”
Beers has many goals not just for himself but also for the team as a whole.
“In my time being a member of the Cortland baseball team, I have both personal and team goals. A personal goal of mine is to build as a pitcher and I hope to leave as an All-American athlete at least once, if not more,” said Beers.
Beers is without a doubt a team player.
Do you have any goals for the team?
“Mine and really, I should say team goal is to win a national champion. I hope that we keep up with what we are doing, and we can’t take our foot off the gas pedal. We need to keep working at picking things we lack in and tackling them. As long as we do this, I believe our team will be fine and will continue to grow stronger while thriving at the same time,” said Beers.
Finally, Dylan Beers can serve as an encouragement to everybody who wants to succeed in athletics. He exemplifies the value of endurance and hard work with his passion, dedication, and drive to be excellent in his sport. As he is only a sophomore, he has high aspirations and hopes to continue making a name for himself in his time remaining as a Red Dragon. Beers’ persistent desire and passion for baseball will without a doubt propel him forward both on and off the Wallace Field.
