By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
The Beebe baseball program celebrated its third senior to reach the next level in 2012-13 with the signing of first baseman Cody Reaves at the Media Center Wednesday morning. Reaves signed his Letter of Intent to play for Lyon College in Batesville.
Reaves joined Brandon Stane and Jared Aschbrenner as fellow Badgers signed on to play college baseball next year. Stane and Aschbrenner signed with Northwestern State University and Henderson State University respectively back in mid November.
Reaves joined the varsity program under coach Mark Crafton as a freshman, and though his playing time was limited, he was a part of school history as a member of the 2010 team that claimed the 5A state championship.
“Cody has put a lot of time and work into this program,” Crafton said. “He helped himself get better individually, and of course the team as well. He’s made good strides and comes from a great family background. That’s what makes it enjoyable to coach Cody. He’s a well-rounded individual and as a player. He’s going to a great institution to get his college degree and continue to play baseball.”
Reaves also played a minor role as a sophomore before becoming a starting player for his junior season.
“I really didn’t get a lot of actual varsity playing time until last year,” Reaves said. “I think the two previous years were good for learning the ropes, and I had a good bunch of seniors those two years that taught me well and helped me become a better baseball player.”
Reaves was unsatisfied with his .280 batting average last year, but his strong 3.3 GPA helped attract interest from a number of in-state programs, including Lyon.
“It’s a great academic school,” Reaves said. “They offered me a baseball scholarship, and I always wanted to play baseball in college. To be able to play at a school as prestigious as Lyon is a good thing.”
Reaves went to tryouts at a few other schools, but once Lyon showed interest, the Scots program instantly became his main focus.
As part of the state-championship winning team as a freshman, Reaves would like to repeat that success in his final season wearing a Badger uniform this spring.
“The ultimate goal for me is to win a state championship,” Reaves said. “Whatever my role is on the team, whatever I have to do to help us out. I feel like the best thing I’ve been working toward these last four years is to win another state championship again. There’s no better feeling.”
