Northmont grad named new baseball coach at Butler University

Blake Beemer spent last four seasons at Ball State
Northmont High School's Blake Beemer recently signed a letter of intent to play baseball for Ball State University. Joining Blake at the ceremony were his mother, Elizabeth, and father, Greg. Standing is Northmont baseball coach Chuck Harlow. Beemer was a first-team All-GWOC selection at first base. He batted .422 to help the Thunderbolts finish the season with a 23-7 record.

Credit: Contributed photo

Credit: Contributed photo

Northmont High School's Blake Beemer recently signed a letter of intent to play baseball for Ball State University. Joining Blake at the ceremony were his mother, Elizabeth, and father, Greg. Standing is Northmont baseball coach Chuck Harlow. Beemer was a first-team All-GWOC selection at first base. He batted .422 to help the Thunderbolts finish the season with a 23-7 record.

Blake Beemer, a 2009 Northmont High School graduate, was named the head baseball coach at Butler University on Tuesday.

Beemer spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Ball State, which won the Mid-American Conference regular-season championship this spring. He replaces Dave Schrage, who retired after the 2022 season, his sixth at Butler.

“I am extremely excited and fortunate to have been chosen by (Athletic Director) Barry Collier, (Assistant AD) Lee Dicklitch and Butler University to lead the Bulldog baseball program to new heights,” Beemer said in a press release. “The opportunity to build on coach Schrage’s successes while recruiting high-level student-athletes to such a great university is not one that I take lightly. I know with the talent in the Midwest, the strength of the Big East Conference and the national brand of our great university, Butler is in position to be a premier baseball school for our current and future student-athletes.”

Beemer hit .422 as a senior at Northmont in 2009. He played college baseball at Ball State and was a four-year letterwinner and three-time captain. He hit .286 in his career. He was recruited by Springfield native Greg Beals, who left after his freshman season to coach at Ohio State.

Beamer told the Dayton Daily News in 2013 his goal was to be a college baseball coach, and he began his coaching career in 2014 at Penn State, coaching outfielders and serving as first-base coach. He coached two seasons at Penn State and then spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Eastern Illinois before moving back to his alma mater.

“Throughout his college coaching and playing career, Blake has built meaningful relationships and impacted on-field success at a high level,” Collier said in a press release “There was strong interest in our position and throughout our process, Blake was able to stand out with both his vision and his plan for a successful baseball program at Butler. We are excited to add Blake as a Bulldog and have him lead our program.”

About the Author