Two seasons into his initial five-year contract, Western Carolina University and head baseball coach Alan Beck have agreed to a two-year contract extension, Director of Athletics Alex Gary has officially announced. A Catamount baseball alum and a two-time WCU graduate, the new arrangement locks Beck in through the 2028-29 academic year.
Beck’s extension was approved by WCU’s Board of Trustees in a special session earlier this month.
“Alan has shown tremendous leadership over all aspects of our proud Catamount Baseball program,” Gary said of the two years added to Beck’s current contract. “Not only has our team shown improvement on the field, but we’ve also done extremely well academically while prioritizing service in our local community.”
Beck and his staff orchestrated a seven-game improvement from a 21-33 overall record in his first season in 2023 to a two-game over .500 finish of 28-26 in 2024. It was WCU’s first finish above the .500 threshold since 2021 and just the team’s second since 2015. With a 13-8 Southern Conference mark last season, the Catamounts finished the regular season tied for third.
Under Beck’s tutelage, WCU ranked third in the SoCon in 2024 with 91 combined home runs with four players posting double-digit dingers including 20 by outfielder Nate Stocum, tied for the seventh-best single-season in program history.
Over the past two seasons in the classroom, the Catamount baseball team has received the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Team Academic Excellence Award representing the only two times in program history since the award has been handed out since 2015. The Diamond Catamounts boasted a collective team grade point average of 3.226 for the 2023-24 academic year and saw 27 players land on the 2023-24 SoCon Academic Honor Roll, one more than the 26 that were recognized in 2022-23.
Additionally, a program-best five Catamounts – infielder Zach Ketterman, utility infielder Jack Spyke, middle infielder Trent Turner, outfielder Hayden Friese, and right-handed pitcher Dusty Revis – were also each named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team.
A three-time All-Southern Conference selection and the 2003 SoCon Baseball Player of the Year, Beck returned to his alma mater in June 2022 to guide the program for which he played as the 11th different head coach all time. It is his third stint in the dugout in Cullowhee, having twice served as an assistant coach at WCU with former skippers Todd Raleigh from 2005-06 and Bobby Moranda from 2009-15.
Catamount baseball is scheduled for one out-of-season competition this fall, hosting Walters State at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 2. The annual intrasquad scrimmage Purple & Gold Fall College World Series is slated for Oct. 30 through Nov. 1. The 2025 season opens in mid-February with the complete schedule to be released later this fall.
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