This story was originally published as part of the fall edition of The Master’s University Magazine. Read the full magazine here.

Resume

• Standout pitcher at TMU from 1991-94.
• Drafted in the seventh round of 1994 MLB Draft.
• Played four Minor League seasons.
• Rose to the role of executive director of teams in 23 years with Athletes in Action.

Q: Did you meet your wife, Danielle (Vosmeier), at Master’s?

I did. I was a sophomore and she was a junior. Her roommate set us up on a blind date, where we went miniature golfing and then watched “E.T.”

Q: What is your favorite memory of playing baseball at Master’s?

My teammates. Four of the five guys in my wedding were baseball guys from here. I met some of my best friends, and we’re still really good friends to this day.

Q: What was it like to be selected in the seventh round of the 1994 MLB Draft?

We were married at the time already and we just waited by the phone. It was cool to get the call from the Mariners. You work hard most of your teenage years and what seems like a lifetime of working hard, and then you get a call solidifying that work.

Q: You played four seasons in the minor leagues. What challenges did that present?

You’re already newly married and trying to figure all that out and now you’re moving all over the country. All the time. We moved 19 times in the first seven years of our marriage. I think Master’s prepared us really well for our Christian walk, but I don’t think you can be fully prepared for what you face in that world. We grew closer together through it and through all the moves. We made it humorous and packed very lightly.

Q: What was the deciding factor in retiring in 1998?

When I got released by the Cubs, we were pregnant with our oldest. I had a chance to keep playing, but Danielle and I realized that it was time that I stopped. She had been traveling with me, allowing me to chase my dream, and now it was time for the sake of the family to get a job and find out what God had for us next.

Q: What’s something you learned in your 23 years working with the sports ministry Athletes in Action?

That most athletes struggle with their identity being in sport. I try to ask athletes, “How are you doing?” Not, “How is your swing feeling?” The sports side of things is important, and that all comes. But to ask them on a deeper level, “How are you doing with your walk with the Lord?” It erases the identity factor, reinforces that they belong to God, and shows that I care how that relationship is going.

Q: What’s your favorite Bible verse?

1 Corinthians 16:13, “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”

Q: You and your wife have three sons. What’s the best part of being a dad?

Enjoying every stage they’re in and watching them grow up and make their own choices. Seeing them make choices that honor the Lord is truly a blessing.

Q: Is there anything else the TMU community should know about you?

When Danielle and I do something in ministry, it’s a partnership. I know this is my job, but her heart’s desire is to meet with and invest in ladies as well. We view coming back to the school as a ministry that we’re both committed to.

Read more about TMU’s athletic director at gomustangs.com/beck.