KR grad Beals named OSU head baseball coach

Ohio State confirmed the news Thursday morning.

"I can not tell you how excited I am about this opportunity,” Beals said in an OSU press release. “I look forward to donning the Ohio State Block ‘O’ cap and representing The Ohio State University. I have surrounded myself with great people –- administrators, coaches and student-athletes –- that I will be forever grateful to. Now I join an Athletics Department that embraces the motto ‘You Win with People.’”

That’s a quote Beals’ former high school coach, Tom Randall, loved to use, and Beals was greatly influenced by Randall.

"The influence Coach Randall has had on my life, we can't even begin to talk about,” Beals told the News-Sun before Randall’s last season in 2007. “It's an article in itself. With my father (Keith) passing away during my (junior year), Coach Randall was instrumental in keeping me in line and doing what I was supposed to do. ... He started out as a coach, and now he's one of my closest friends."

Beals will replace Bob Todd, the winningest baseball coach in OSU history. Todd retired after this season, his 23rd.

Beals has been the head coach at Ball State for eight seasons and was an assistant coach at his alma mater, Kent State, prior to that. Beals recruited several local players to Ball State during his tenture, including Shawnee’s Richie Fralick, Graham’s Justin Rogers, Kenton Ridge’s Jon Dollinger. Beals’ record at Ball State was 243-202. He coached the Cardinals to three MAC West Division titles and to the NCAA regional in 2006.

Beals is a member of the Springfield/Clark County Baseball Hall of Fame. After playing at Kenton Ridge and Kent State, he spent three seasons in the New York Mets farm system.

“Coach Beals has all the attributes we were looking for in a head coach,” Ohio State Associate Athletics Director Chris Schneider said in a press release. “He has achieved success as a head coach, he is a proven recruiter, he is a developer of talent and he is extremely passionate about developing student-athletes in all aspects of their lives.