Beecher freshman Easton Lane knows he has quite a legacy to live up to, but so far he’s doing a good job.
Lane’s dad, Steve, was one of the greatest players in Bobcats history and went on to a long career with the Beecher Muskies semipro team.
“He’s helped me so much throughout the years,” Easton said after the Bobcats’ 4-3 home win against Gardner-South Wilmington on April 20. “Helped me (at) getting better, keeping me under control, keeping my composure.”
The younger Lane plays shortstop and pitches for the Bobcats, who came into this week on a five-game winning streak. They were 11-7 overall and 5-3 in River Valley play.
Against Gardner, Lane was 3-for-3 with three extra-base hits: two RBI doubles and a tiebreaking home run to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning.
“He can mash,” Beecher coach Brandon DuBois said. “If he gets it out front, he can hit it.. … And then he plays a really good shortstop.”
Lane, a left-handed hitter, pulled all of his hits in the direction of pickleball courts beyond the right-field fence. He’s certainly aware of the short porch in right, but doesn’t aim for it.
“I just try to stay within myself, make sure I see the ball and if it goes, it goes,” Lane said.
Through 18 games, he was hitting .365 with 16 runs and 19 RBIs. Junior leadoff hitter Chase Maher, who was 2-for-3 with two runs against Gardner, was batting .444.
He’s part of a talented freshman class that finished fourth in the state as eighth-graders, the best showing in Beecher Junior High history.
Another freshman making an immediate impact is Gavin Van Ness, an infielder/pitcher who started against Gardner and struck out six in 4 2/3 innings. He’s hitting .340.
“They’re good,” DuBois — who coaches both the high-school and junior-high teams — said of the freshmen. “I’m young. We’ve got a sophomore in left, juniors up the middle for the most part and I had two seniors start (vs. Gardner). But it’s been a mix. We’ve had another freshman that has started at catcher.”