Coaching Blackhawks baseball is an alumni's dream come true

For many coaches, being able to coach at their alma mater amounts to a dream job.

Rob Beamer is now living that dream.

The Cheney High School alumnus was tabbed to head up the Blackhawks baseball program late in 2018. He takes over managing the varsity squad, as well as working with assistants to develop up and coming talent, from former manager Glen Chamberlain who stepped down last year after just two years.

Beamer played three years for the Blackhawks in the 1990s and is a three-time All-State centerfielder. Life called after high school, leading him to eschew continuing his education and sports career to raise a family.

Beamer finally found the opportunity a few years ago to pursue higher education, graduating from Oregon State University in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in natural resource management. In a March 3 interview, Beamer said his work for the Washington State Department of Transportation as a property management specialist for Spokane’s North-South Freeway project enables him flexibility with his time.

One of the founding members who helped get West Plains Little League established in 2004, Beamer said the coaching bug really bit him about eight years ago when he served as a volunteer coach with Cheney High School under then manager Randy Elam.

After one season, Beamer decided he would put his name in the hat for the vacant varsity baseball coaching position at Liberty High School in Spangle. When he called fellow West Plains Little League volunteer and Medical Lake High School manager Kerry Kelly to ask for a letter of recommendation, Kelly gave him another option.

“He said, ‘why don’t you just come and coach with me?’” Beamer said.

The Blackhawk alum took him up on the offer, and ended up coaching the Cardinals JV for one year and then serving for six years as a varsity assistant. Beamer stepped away from baseball coaching last year, but then reconsidered when the Cheney varsity job came open.

“I applied and got it,” he said. “This is kind of like my dream job.”

Beamer takes over a team with a lot of experience. The Blackhawks will field eight seniors from last year’s squad that went 9-10 overall and 7-5 in the Great Northern League, winning their last five games to finish third. Cheney was knocked out of the playoffs with a first-round loss to fourth-seeded Clarkston.

Beamer is excited for his team’s prospects this season — once the snow is gone and area diamond squads can get outside to at least play, if not practice. He’s also excited about the program’s turnout — which includes 14 freshmen and is enough to field three complete teams.

“You’re coming into a situation where you have a lot of kids who know and understand the game,” Beamer said. “But having a C team is key to building a program.”

Beamer said he’s hoping to build a tradition of winning-baseball in Cheney, and is working with his players to begin that by setting goals. What they have set so far he believes is completely attainable.

“First is a district title,” Beamer said. “After that, we can set another goal and move on.”

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].