The first week for John Beverley with Y-D proved that his game is more than translatable to the SEC.
Beverley, also known as “JB,” is a left-handed hitter who has superb intelligence on the basepaths, which fits Y-D’s style of play perfectly. So far in 16 at-bats, Beverley is batting .375. While he hasn’t stolen a bag, Beverley has capitalized on multiple passed balls and wild pitches — such as scoring from first to home on two wild pitches in the season opener against Harwich.
While the Lawrenceville, Ga., native is thriving on the Cape, it hasn’t always been sunshine and rainbows for Beverley. He chose to stay close to home, attending Georgia State, and struggled mightily his freshman year, batting .186 in nearly 90 at-bats — it didn’t seem to faze him, though, as Beverley erupted for 35 stolen bases while leading the Panthers in batting average (.364) and on-base percentage (.421).
“I tried to be mechanical my freshman year, but through playing a bunch of summer ball games last year, I realized I just had to be more athletic in the box,” Beverley said. “I feel like I’m still growing, but just being loose and letting my athleticism work has been the real reason why I took off a little bit.”
Beverley is a problem out of the box, but he can launch it when needed. On May 5, with Georgia State, Beverley blasted a two-run homer off Kennesaw State in the 11th inning, which was one of four homers on the season. On June 10, Beverley announced his commitment to Auburn, a consistent Omaha contender.
“The SEC is a great conference and top-level baseball, so that is one of the biggest reasons why I chose Auburn,” Beverley said. “When they brought me on campus for a visit, I fell in love with the campus. It was super nice. The baseball field was cool. The staff was amazing. The facilities were top-notch, and all that stuff. It’s only two hours away from home, and being close to home is definitely a big thing for me.”
Before he touches down in Alabama, Beverley will continue to hone his craft with Y-D. He’s been a key factor in Y-D’s league-best 5-1 start.
“JB puts a lot of pressure on the defense. He has skill with the bat, he can do a lot of little things, and he’s a good two-strike hitter,” Gianinno said. “I think he really micro focuses with two strikes and has the ability to find the barrel, and he’s super competitive. He believes in himself, he trusts himself, and I think that that energy is contagious for the rest of the offense.”
Beverley and Co. eye a 6-1 record when Bourne comes to Y-D on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
