Annette Beard
Two of this year's senior baseball Blackhawks almost weren't on the team.
Gage Cawthon and Bryce Beckmann didn't make the cut as freshmen. Both came back out the next year and did get on the team.
Coach John King said some people find that embarrassing, but he sees it as a sign of fortitude, of persevering, exemplifying the grinder mentality he attributes to his boys.
Cawthon said he was severely disappointed when he didn't make it and played USSSA ball and went to baseball camps to improve his skills.
"I hit at home with Dad, got hitting lessons, worked ... I'd always played middle infield so I worked on catching fly balls," Cawthon said, adding that his father, Adam Cawthon, had played ball under King years ago.
Cawthon and Beckmann played ball together for many years in Rogers.
"Coach King is one good person to be around, on and off the field," Beckmann said. "He always expects the best; he expects you to strive for greatness."
"Playing for coach King is one of those things you love one day and hate the next," Cawthon said. "If you're having a great day, it's really fun. But, if you're not on top of your game, he's all over you."
Ethan Burton, senior, has been the team's statistician for the past five years. King said he brought him on as an eighth grader and praised Burton's responsible attitude.
"He has a lot of responsibility," King said of Burton. "He is responsible for knowing who has signed out (after away games) and keeps the books for the games. I think he has a lot more responsibility than some of the players."
"He's a good coach," Burton said.
"I love the man," Cawthon said. "He's been very influential in my high school career.
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Editor's note: See next week's TIMES for the rest of the story.
The students said King has taught them valuable life lessons including "giving it your all."
"Something he's always preached to us, no matter how low things get, you've got to stay even keel. No matter how high they get, stay even keel," Cawthon said. "Once you allow yourself to get too low or too high ... that's when mistakes happen. Keep a level head. That's really one of the main things he's taught us."
Cawthon attributed the loss in the first round of Regional play to that very paradigm.
"We had beaten that team (Clinton) earlier in the year," Cawthon said. "We jumped out to a 3-0 lead and things were looking good, then the wheels just fell off.
"As a senior going out... that wasn't what we expected to happen, but we can't let that one game take away to conference and district championship and a thrilling game against Shiloh," Cawthon said.
Cawthon is the son of Adam and Mindy Cawthon, and plans to attend Arkansas Tech University to study secondary education and coaching.
Sports on 05/18/2016