Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina head baseball coach Alan Beck today announced the addition of Derek Beasley to his inaugural coaching staff as an assistant coach. Beasley, who spent the past three seasons as the pitching coach at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, assumes the same role on the Catamount coaching staff.
 
Cullowhee marks the third collegiate coaching stop for Beasley who was drafted into the Oakland A's farm system as a pitcher from 2014-17 after a standout career at USC Aiken. His previous coaching stints include two seasons at his alma mater and most recently three years at Lenoir-Rhyne.
 
"It was important throughout this process of filling a staff to find a pitching coach with a proven track record of not only developing individual pitchers but also pitching staffs. Derek Beasley fills that need," said Beck. "Not only was Derek a good player that progressed from college to the professional ranks, but everyone I talked to said that he's a strong character guy and will fit in well at Western Carolina. Derek's had a tremendous start to his coaching career where he's had a knack of doing more with less in both recruiting and developing strong pitching rotations."
 
Beasley helped guide Lenoir-Rhyne to a stellar 46-13 record in 2022, collecting eight wins over Top 25 opponents and finishing one victory shy of an NCAA Division II Super Regional appearance. L-R's pitching staff led the nation with an NCAA Division II single-season record of 647 strikeouts, ranking second in the country in strikeouts per nine innings (11.39). The squad also led the South Atlantic Conference in team ERA (3.77) – finishing 11th nationally – and recorded eight shutouts to rank fifth in the NCAA with a WHIP of 1.31, 9th-best in the NCAA.
 
Under Beasley's guidance in 2022, sophomore RHP Joshua Lanham set an L-R school single-season record with 11 victories on the mound and became just the second All-America selection in L-R baseball history after landing on the third team from both D2CCA and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). Lanham earned SAC Freshman of the Year plaudits in 2021, one of three Bears hurlers to finish in the Top 10 in the conference in strikeouts and ERA.

During his time at L-R, Beasley also coached Ian Foggo, who signed a professional free-agent contract with the Houston Astros. He also mentored Andrew Patrick, who threw the program's first no-hitter since the 1990s and earned National Pitcher of the Week honors, while the pitching staff ranked first in the SAC in ERA, strikeouts per nine innings, fewest hits allowed, earned runs, strikeouts, and was second in walks. Three pitchers earned all-conference honors and one was touted all-region. Nationally, the LR pitching staff finished sixth in batting average against, sixth in ERA, fifth in WHIP, and third in slugging percentage allowed. 
 
Before making the move to Hickory, Beasley successfully guided the USC Aiken pitching staff to the top of the Peach Belt Conference. The Pacers finished second in the league in each of Beasley's two seasons and Christian Aragon was named a second-team all-conference pitcher and would go on to sign with the Los Angeles Angels.
 
In 2019, all three of Beasley's weekend starters were drafted in the MLB Draft – Mitch Spence in the 10th round by the New York  Yankees; Zach Rafuse in the 37th round by the Oakland Athletics; and Garvin Alston Jr., a 37^th-round pick by the Chicago White Sox. Rafuse garnered second-team All-Peach Belt Conference honors, while Spence was the overall strikeout leader in the conference and an all-conference first-teamer. The Pacers led the PBC in strikeouts and strikeouts per nine innings while allowing the fewest hits and the lowest batting average against under Beasley in 2019. In 2018, USC Aiken led the league in saves, earned runs, hits, and batting average against.
 
Originally from Harlem, Ga., Beasley ranks as one of the most efficient pitchers in USC Aiken baseball history. He was a two-time, first-team all-conference selection and finished his collegiate playing career second in program history with 29 victories over 310.1 career innings from 2011-14. Beasley posted 292 career strikeouts over 310.1 innings for the Pacers.
 
As a senior in 2014, Beasley ranked third in NCAA Division II in games started (15) and his 52 career starts are still the program record, garnering team MVP accolades. He ranks eighth in the history of the Peach Belt Conference in strikeouts and wins and is fifth in career games started. In 2013, Beasley won the Mr. Pacer award for the baseball team and was All-Region that same year. 
 
Beasley was drafted by Oakland in the 30th round with the 912th overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft. He played three seasons of professional baseball from 2014-16 before embarking on his coaching career. Beasley secured eight victories over 40 appearances and had a career ERA of 4.81, striking out 78 against 31 walks.
 
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