By Kyle Roberts
RUSTON, La. — It’s a rarity to find two kids from the same out-of-state high school play for the same community college in Mississippi, given strict rules on non-resident students from outside the Magnolia State.
But former Ruston High teammates RJ Brown and Peyton Beck did just that last year, playing college baseball together at Hinds Community College in Raymond, Miss. — a 137-mile drive from downtown Ruston along the I-20 corridor.
For Brown and Beck, it was more than just a continuation of their careers — it became a reunion built on trust, friendship and the foundation established years earlier as Bearcats.
Brown, a catcher from Ruston High’s Class of 2023, and Beck, a Class of 2024 graduate and pitcher, spent the 2026 season together at Hinds, where the two former Bearcats became roommates, battery mates on the mound and behind the plate, and each other’s biggest supporters on the diamond.
“I would say it was really special,” Beck said. “We played high school baseball together, but being at Hinds, we were roommates and really got to know each other there. That friendship carried over onto the field.”
Brown said the relationship grew naturally throughout the year.
“I really thought it was awesome,” Brown said. “We always had familiar faces in the stands, and living together for however many months, we just got really close.”
The connection between the two actually started years earlier at Ruston High, where current Bearcats head coach Bryan Beck — Peyton’s father — coached both players as catchers before Peyton eventually transitioned to the mound.
“Peyton Beck was a catcher his sophomore year, and RJ was a catcher ahead of him,” Bryan Beck said. “That’s really where their relationship started. I really had a chance to work with both my son and RJ at the same position, not ever thinking it would come full circle to where they would be battery mates in college.”
Brown originally spent a year at Louisiana Tech University before transferring to Hinds, where he spent two seasons developing into one of the Eagles’ top contributors. Beck arrived at Hinds after one season at LSU-Eunice.
The dynamic duo came together with a little help from Brown.
“One of the first phone calls Peyton made was to RJ,” Bryan Beck said. “RJ went to Coach Rives and said, ‘Hey, I’ve got a former high school buddy of mine that can really pitch it.’”
The pair quickly became one of Hinds’ most dependable pitcher-catcher combinations.
Brown hit .310 with a .368 on-base percentage and a .563 slugging percentage in 158 at-bats this season. He blasted 10 home runs, recorded 19 extra-base hits, stole 14 bases and struck out in just eight percent of his plate appearances while catching nearly 350 innings behind the plate.
Meanwhile, Beck struck out 52 batters in 46 2/3 innings (averaging more than one strikeout per inning pitched) while allowing only four extra-base hits all season.
Hinds head coach Dan Rives quickly saw how well the two complemented each other.
“RJ was kind of the straw that stirred the drink for us,” Rives said. “He was our energy force every day. Peyton was incredibly quiet, but a competitor in his own way.”
Rives said Brown evolved from a defense-first catcher into one of the Eagles’ most productive hitters while continuing to anchor the pitching staff behind the plate.
“He ended up developing into a potent bat for us and hitting in the middle of our lineup all season,” Rives said. “But he was steady as a rock behind the plate.”
Rives praised Beck’s work ethic and consistency throughout the season.
“A lot of times you’d see his truck up there long after everybody had gone from the field,” Rives said. “He was putting in that extra work because he knew that’s what it took.”
And the chemistry between the former ‘Cats truly became one of the defining stories of the season.
“There may be some times where RJ can go out and say some things to Peyton that maybe coaches or even other players couldn’t get away with,” Bryan Beck said. “But your roommate can.”
The dynamic worked both ways.
“We knew what each other needed,” Brown said. “Whether it was support, joking around or just calming each other down, we always had each other’s back.”
Beck said the familiarity helped keep both players loose during games.
“RJ is a jokester,” Beck said. “If something wasn’t going my way or wasn’t going his way, we’d joke about it. We were just having fun out there.”
One of the season’s defining moments came during a Good Friday doubleheader against Northeast Mississippi. After Beck struggled through the opening inning, Brown helped settle him down behind the plate.
Brown then blasted a grand slam in the bottom half of the inning, and Beck responded with four scoreless innings as Hinds erupted offensively for 19 runs in a 24-5 win to give Beck his first win on the mound at Hines.
“I remember RJ coming through the dugout and I gave him a big hug,” Beck said. “I was like, ‘Thank you.’”
Rives said the moment showed the competitiveness and trust shared between the two.
“We challenged Peyton after that first inning,” Rives said. “RJ was a big part of that. Then Peyton responded and was awesome the rest of the outing.”
Away from the diamond, the two shared countless memories — long bus rides, road trips back to Ruston and even adopting a pet snake for a short time during the season.
Still, both players said representing Ruston High remained central to who they are.
“I feel like I bleed red and white,” Brown said. “Ruston High inspired my love for the game.”
Beck agreed.
“Ruston High sports shaped the way I play the game,” Beck said. “We play hard, we compete, we work hard and we try to represent Ruston the right way.”
Brown said Ruston High athletics prepared both players for the next level.
“Ruston High gets you prepared in the weight room more than anybody,” Brown said. “And they teach you to play the game the right way.”
Bryan Beck said seeing former Bearcats continue to succeed at the collegiate level is rewarding for the entire Ruston community.
“When you look and see what they’ve accomplished, there is a lot of pride as a coach,” Bryan Beck said. “I couldn’t be prouder of those two guys for representing Ruston High.”
Both Brown and Beck plan to continue playing baseball at the next level and are currently weighing opportunities from four-year programs.
“I want to play baseball as long as I can,” Brown said. “At this point, it’s about finding the best fit.”
And for Rives, he believes Beck and Brown playing onward would great for any team that is willing to sign either of them.
”I’d love to see them at a really high level, because I believe they deserve that,” Rives said. “Peyton could be a dynamite reliever, because his breaking ball, in terms of metrics — it’s up there. And he got up to 92 this year, so he’s got the velocity. And RJ’s a guy that the more you see him, the more you appreciate him. If you go watch him in a showcase, he’s going to standout because he’s got tools. He can catch and throw — he hit over 300 for us and hardly struck out. And with his bat, he could potential play on the corners on in the outfield.
”They’re both obviously very special.”
