By Kyle Roberts
Ruston High did not need to look very far for its next head baseball coach.
On Friday afternoon, assistant coach Bryan Beck was tapped as the next skipper for the Bearcats, where he has been an assistant for the last several seasons.
“Our committee did an extensive search and interviewed several very good candidates,” Ruston High School principal Dan Gressett said. “At the end of the day we realized we had our guy already on staff. He knows our vision for Ruston High, has been a part of building what we’ve done in football, and is a Bearcat through and through. Coach Beck will do a great job and already has some ideas on assistants that will help him out. We are excited.”
Beck expressed his gratitude to Gressett and head football coach and athletics director Jerrod Baugh.
“I’m very excited to continue to serve at Ruston High,” Beck said. “It felt like that was what I was going to continue to do here. I’m very loyal to Baugh for giving me a shot seven years ago to serve kids. And that’s what I’ve always told him I would do in any capacity. Today, he gave me that opportunity to do that as the head baseball coach. I am very grateful to him and Gressett and everybody involved in that decision, because I knew there were some really good candidates and a lot of people who were worthy of the job. I’m just very humble and grateful to be able to serve our high school in this role.”
Beck has been an assistant on both baseball and football for Ruston High and was on staff with the 2022 and 2023 teams that played for state championships in football. He added that details will still be worked out, although his heart is to serve in both sports.
“I told them from the get-go that I promote multi-sports athletes; whatever we can do to promote the ultimate Ruston High School experience,” Beck said. “I do know my role will change in some way. Coach Baugh and I will have a discussion soon on what that will look like. But I still will remain involved in our football programs one way tor the other. Right now, we’re just trying to get everything lined up with all the kids as they’re trying to exit school next week. We want to make sure we’re all good to go.”
