Beckwith commits to Dickinson State

When Emily Beckwith committed to Dickinson State University, she knew she was carrying on an important legacy between Brandon and the North Dakota school.

The 17-year-old outfielder is following in the footsteps of Ashley Neufeld — who tragically died with two of her Blue Hawks teammates in 2009 — Brandon’s Taylor Ursel and Morgan Glowa, who signed in 2012, and more recently pitcher Arjana Eilers, who was at DSU from 2018 to 2023.

The Brandon connection is something Beckwith takes very seriously, in part because she is close to Neufeld’s parents, Phil and Bev.

“It’s so cool,” Beckwith said. “I grew up hearing so much about Ashley’s character and I’ve always strived to be even half the teammate she was. I talked to Arjana plenty, she has nothing but great things to say about Dickinson and about the team and about coach (Kristen) Fleury. She loves coach Fleury.

“Phil and Bev hold a really special place in my heart and I’m super excited for this opportunity. I’m excited to carry on the Brandon legacy.”

Beckwith, who throws right and hits left, began playing the sport at age eight in 2016.

She caught when she was younger but moved to the outfield when she was in her second season of U15, which was also her first year with the AAA Westman Magic. Lately she’s spent the most time in centre field.

The Grade 12 student also plays basketball at Neelin, and when she was younger, was in hockey and volleyball.

Growing up, she always thought she would like to play a post-secondary sport, and for a time thought it might be hockey.

“After while, I grew closer to the thought of playing softball in post-secondary,” Beckwith said. “It was the second year of U15 — the first year I played in the Magic program — I had the realization, ‘Oh, maybe I can actually do this.’ That was a super exciting thought to have.”

When asked about her game, Beckwith is modest about her work at the plate in the middle of the order, and more focused on how she can help the team.

“I’m the girl to move the girls on the bases,” Beckwith said. “My goal is that I’m really supportive teammate and my big thing is supporting everyone on the bench whether I’m playing or not.”

In the field, she’s willing to sacrifice herself to make a play, another sign of a good teammate.

“I’m really the type of player to lay out for any play, even if I’m not fully confident I’m going to make it,” Beckwith said. “I like to give it my all and get to balls.”

Beckwith brings a unique viewpoint to the game because during her AAA career, she also made time to ump for three years. She said it helped her a lot.

“I think umping has really changed my perspective on the game,” Beckwith said. “It’s given me a lot of respect for the umps. It’s not an easy job because there are times when no matter what call you make, you’re not going to please someone and you’re going to get a backlash … I really admire the ones who do it long term.”

Instead of umping last summer, she worked on the grounds crew at the Ashley Neufeld Softball Complex.

Beckwith spent last season with the U17 Magic, once again playing with many of the members of the team that hosted U15 nationals in 2023. She said the organization has been an important part of her softball story.

“It’s helped me plenty,” Beckwith said. “When I was growing up and not playing with them, I always saw Magic as the elite team and I always wanted to be a part of it. When I did get to play for Magic, it was really crucial in my development. I probably wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t play for Magic.

“It’s great. It brings you closer to people and teammates you would have never met before. Now some of my closest friends I made through the Magic program.”

When it came time to go through the gruelling process of finding a school, she had the good fortune of having someone knowledgable to lean on. Her father Greg, a longtime coach and volunteer in the local softball and volleyball communities, brought some firsthand knowledge of what to expect.

“My dad has been my rock throughout this entire process,” said Beckwith, whose family also includes mother Jenn and younger sister Hayley. “He used to do some recruiting for BU, so he’s helped me a lot. ‘There have been times I opened my email and it’s so exhausting. It’s for sure an exciting process, but honestly, it’s a process of failure. Ninety nine times out of 100 you won’t get a response until the fourth or fifth email you send.

“He’s super knowledgable, he edited my videos. He’s honestly been amazing and he’s super awesome.”

In the end, she had good conversations with about 10 of the many, many schools she contacted. In the second week of September, she visited the DSU campus, which is located 544 kilometres southwest of Brandon.

“Honestly, the moment I stepped onto that campus I knew,” Beckwith said, noting she had Bev and Phil’s connection to the school on her mind. “ … It’s really gorgeous and it’s obviously really good facilities but I think a really important thing to me is I found not only a good team but also the right chemistry.

“Dickinson really felt like home.”

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) team plays at Bravera Field in a state-of-the-art facility that opened in 2023. It has a full turf playing surface, two batting cages, two bullpen areas, an inning-by-inning scoreboard, LED lights, an onsite training room and the team’s clubhouse.

The Blue Hawks, who previously competed in the North Star Athletic Association Conference, moved to the Frontier Conference this season and two weeks ago were named the preseason favourite. It will be the first time softball is a championship sport in the Frontier Conference, with the 28-game season kicking off March 20.

Beckwith said it was a relief to have her search finally over.

“I’m a very Type A person,” Beckwith said. “I like to have things planned out and set out and know exactly how everything is going to be long in advance so honestly it’s just so nice to have it settled and look forward to it.”

She is planning to take elementary education at the school, which has about 1,400 students.

While the adventure doesn’t begin until next August, she’s already looking forward to it. At the same time, she’s ready for all the changes her next chapter will bring.

“I know it’s going to be really sad to leave home but I’m honestly so excited for this,” Beckwith said. “I’m so excited to get this opportunity. Going off to university, you get to find yourself too and you get individuality. I’m just excited for the whole experience.”

» pbergson@brandonsun.com