Beltran is pulverizing pitches at the plate for the Crusaders

Eastside Catholic senior will continue baseball career at Gonzaga in 2019.

By Shaun Scott • April 12, 2018 3:50 pm
Shaun Scott, staff photo Eastside Catholic Crusaders senior first baseman/designated hitter Bryson Beltran has the best batting average on his team through 10 games.
Shaun Scott, staff photo Eastside Catholic Crusaders senior first baseman/designated hitter Bryson Beltran has the best batting average on his team through 10 games.

Eastside Catholic Crusaders senior Bryson Beltran has throughly dominated during the first 10 games of the 2018 season on the baseball diamond.

Beltran, who bats in the cleanup spot (fourth in the order), has the highest batting average on the team at this juncture. Crusaders’ head baseball coach Kyle Larsen said Beltran was batting over .600 through the first nine games.

“Bryson is probably at right around .580 right now. He went 0-for-3 on Monday (April 9 loss to Seattle Prep) and to still be hitting .580, that shows you how good he has been this year,” Larsen said with a smile. “He has had a really good start to the season and is seeing the ball really well. He is really locked in, is not chasing pitches and is tough to get out right now. He is a big strong kid who has some power. He is a huge part of our offense and is one of our senior captains.”

Beltran, who splits his time between first base and the designated hitter role, committed to the Gonzaga University collegiate baseball program in September of 2017.

“I love Gonzaga, so it’s a dream come true. The coaches were awesome. When I met the guys (Gonzaga players) that were already there, they were awesome too. I love the school, love the campus, love the field and just love everything about it,” Beltran said of Gonzaga.

Before Beltran makes the move 270 miles east to Gonzaga’s campus in Spokane, he wants to help lead the Crusaders deep into the Class 3A state tournament. The Crusaders won Metro titles in 2016 and 2017 but saw their season end in the first round of the Class 3A state tournament the past two years in a row.

“We know if we can get over that hump (first round of state tournament) that we are going to catch fire and we’re going to keep going. That is all we want, man. We just got to trust each other and play well as a team,” Beltran said.

Beltran grew up in a basketball family but quickly gravitated to baseball and never looked back.

“My dad and mom were basketball people. They stuck me in baseball when I was young and I kind of stuck with it more than I did basketball. I have always played baseball since I was a kid,” Beltran said.