Few Western Canadian Baseball League players can boast having an EliteProspects.com hockey profile page.
Saskatoon Berries hurler Adam Beamin is one of them, thanks to his time with the Saskatoon Stallions of the Saskatchewan AA Hockey League, where he was teammates with future NHL prospects Roger McQueen and Noah Chadwick.
The 6-foot-2, 170-pound defenseman, who was born in Calgary before moving to Saskatoon when he was six, even earned the attention of Western Hockey League scouts, as the Lethbridge Hurricanes drafted him in the 10th round of the 2020 Bantam Draft.
However, Beamin was more interested in his summertime passion: baseball.
Instead of heading to Lethbridge, he decided to make the trek north to Okotoks, honing his craft at Dawgs Academy and earned a post-secondary commitment to Central Arizona College.
The righthander redshirted during the 2023-2024 season, which he says turned into a great move for his development, returning this past spring to go 4-0 with a 3.70 ERA in eight appearances, including four starts.
Beamin is now into his second season with the hometown Berries after posting a 2-0 record with a 5.84 ERA in nine relief appearances in 2024.
He joined us earlier this year for Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast, forming the basis for our latest 7th Inning Stretch.
1. How did you get into baseball in the first place?
I had always played it. I think I might have been nine or 11 years old. My mom had played softball and baseball back when she was growing up, too. It was just kind of expected that I would play hockey and baseball. I had to face the decision if I wanted to continue hockey or baseball. My brother picked hockey and I was like, “You know what, I’m going to do something different and I’m going to pick baseball.” I’m very happy with that decision and do not regret it at all.
2. How tough was it for you to make that decision?
Definitely wasn’t that easy. Sometimes, I beat myself up, even to this day. I’m not seeing all the gains I want to see, whether it’s on the field or the mental part of baseball. But at the end of the day, I have to remind myself that this is only my fourth year of just baseball and all-year-round baseball. Sometimes, I’ll see these Arizona kids throwing 98 miles per hour and I have to remember that they’ve been doing this since they were eight, so, remember my story and not compare myself to others, for sure.
3. What’s it like getting to pitch in front of your hometown crowd in front of family and friends?
That was awesome. I always tell my buddies here that I wish they could experience the amount of fun I had in summer ball during that first year with the Berries. One, being at home was awesome, and two, just the atmosphere that they created. They brought baseball back to Saskatoon a bit, honestly, seeing all the kids around, fans buying our jerseys, and all that, it’s a really cool feeling being able to connect with the fans for sure. I love the Berries. It was the most fun summer I’ve had in awhile and it was fun that they got most of the Saskatoon kids back and we made a really good run at a championship and I think we can do it again this year.
4. What was the transition like going from Okotoks to Central Arizona?
I signed here at Central Arizona pretty late and I was lucky enough that the coaching staff wanted to pick me up later. I just came into last year’s fall just hoping to compete and do my job and hopefully the coaches like what they saw. They did like what they saw with me and I did too. We chose the redshirt path to help develop my velocity a little bit and that went really well. Even that redshirt year was the best year I’ve ever had in my baseball career, development-wise. I had all the time in the world just to focus in on mechanics and pitch design with my pitching coach. It really helped me get prepared to be dominant this spring.
5. You’re at a school that has a pretty good track record for winning. Do you feel any pressure in that regard to make sure you’re bringing your A-game?
Oh no, not at all. I think, for me, the pressure of my life was when I quit hockey after being drafted into the WHL. It was being a baseball player and making people not think about why I quit playing hockey. I think, if anything, I put a little bit of pressure on myself there. But now, I’m just happy to be here. My coaches are great and they just want us to succeed and they give us the tools to succeed, for sure.
6. For those young kids wanting to get to where you’re at now, what kinds of advice or words of wisdom would you like to impart upon them?
It’s a game, at the end of the day. It’s a kid’s game, so just have fun. My college coach, Shawn Cashman, puts it in a good way. When we’re playing wiffle ball in the backyard, we’re not thinking about how pretty we look or how our mechanics look, we’re just trying to hit the ball and get the job done. A lot of time, it’s about not overanalyzing everything. It’s about having fun and what you put into it is what you will get out of it.
7. What does the game of baseball mean to you?
It means everything, honestly. To be able to play baseball is definitely a privilege. I think it gives me an opportunity to live in the United States and pursue my dreams and be able to repay my mom for everything she has done for me. It keeps life fun, for sure, I can’t imagine not playing baseball. I honestly don’t know what I’d do besides work out and that wouldn’t be very fun just doing that.
Tales of Baseball 