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CCBL HOFer Eric Beattie Ready to Lead Hyannis

03/25/2022 10:00 AM

Article By: Josh Schwam

New Hyannis Harbor Hawks Manager Eric Beattie is no stranger to Cape Cod League Baseball. It’s a comforting environment for him and his family.

“My wife is actually going to be spending time with the Quiggs [Beattie’s host family when he was a player] this summer,” Beattie said. “I’ve kept a long-term relationship with them and it’s something that is very important to me.”

From forming a meaningful connection with his host family to a historic season on the bump and a playoff run, Beattie has fond memories from the Cape League.

A 2014 CCBL Hall of Fame Inductee and 2003 Pitcher of the Year for the Bourne Braves, Beattie comes to Hyannis with a record of incredible success on Cape Cod. In his lone summer with the Braves, Beattie hurled one of the most impressive seasons in Cape League history, going 4-0 with a league-leading 0.39 ERA. The mark was the second lowest in the modern era of CCBL play. He struck out 51 batters and surrendered a mere six walks, allowing 23 hits in 46 innings. Furthermore, Beattie allowed two earned runs all season and piloted Bourne to a West Division Title.

In his first and only playoff appearance, Beattie tossed eight shutout innings, allowing just two hits and a staggering 12 strikeouts en-route to a Bourne victory with the Braves facing elimination in the West Division Finals.

“Those are experiences I’ll cherish for the rest of my life,” Beattie said of his time on Cape. “I want these guys [Harbor Hawks players] to experience this summer what I experienced. I love the Cape and I can’t wait to get back out there.”

Beattie found his way on Cape initially due to an elite resumé at the University of Tampa. In his three seasons as a Spartan, Beattie achieved 30 career wins, good for fifth in program history. He also ranks eighth in Spartan baseball history with 278 punchouts.

The new Harbor Hawks skipper had four career shutouts and started 18 games in 2003, anchoring the Tampa rotation in a year that the Spartans went 45-18 and finished as runners-up in the NCAA Division II Baseball Tournament.

Beattie was drafted in the second round of the 2004 MLB First-Year Player Draft and spent four years in the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox minor league organizations.

Earning a trip back on Cape required several moving pieces. Ironically, Beattie was recruited by the recently-retired Harbor Hawks skipper Gary Calhoun when Beattie was a student-athlete. He was planning on joining Calhoun’s staff as an assistant in 2022 before Calhoun announced his retirement, citing the desire to spend more time with his family. Beattie has another Cape League connection in the form of his skipper with the Braves, Wareham Manager Harvey Shapiro. 

He became close with Hyannis General Manager Nick Johnson and when Calhoun announced his retirement, the move seemed natural.

“Eric’s success on Cape Cod was extremely important to his candidacy,” General Manager Nick Johnson said. “He has the experience of living with a host family, of being in a new place, of having the pressure of dozens of scouts watching him and knowing that one off outing can impact your stats for the entire season. Some guys handle that better than others. Having him here as a relatable, younger guy with that experience is something that I think will be extremely beneficial to our players and the team.

Beattie has 13 years of coaching experience, largely at the high school level in Florida combined with independent work. He is currently the Head Coach at Strawberry Crest High School outside of Tampa, Florida. Crest has won back-to-back district championships, achieved two regional championship victories and appeared in the state final twice in the last three full seasons.

“Eric brings a shot of adrenaline to this organization,” Johnson said. “He wants to win and win now. He comes in with a fun philosophy and in our conversations, he’s been very prepared and eager to win. The goal for us is not just double-digit wins, we’re eying the West Division title.”

Hyannis is coming off a year in which it finished fifth in the division. Beattie believes the infrastructure in Hyannis can support a winning baseball team and he is up for the challenge.

“I want to teach these guys to win at their routine every day.” Beattie said. “If you win at your routine, you can accomplish great things … I really want to get the community involved. The community is so important to the success of a Cape league team and I want the Hyannis community to feel a part of our team. I’m very excited.”

Eric is married to Molly Beattie, a former volleyball player at the University of Tampa. They have two children, Jaxon (11) and Tate (7).

The 2022 Cape Cod League Baseball season will begin on June 12 with each team playing 44 games before an eight-team playoff beginning August 4. Hyannis will play opening day on the road at Spillane Field, facing the Wareham Gatemen before hosting the Orleans Firebirds the following day in their home opener at McKeon Park.