Beamon big cog as Coyotes aim to defend title

Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2004 | 9:39 a.m.

Baseball America calls Calvin Beamon the top junior-college prospect in the country in its current issue, something the Community College of Southern Nevada center fielder disputed during practice Tuesday.

He doesn't even believe he's the most important player on the defending national champion Coyotes.

"That's (Sean) Kazmar, my roommate," Beamon said. "I think he is the best guy we have on our team."

Kazmar, the slick CCSN shortstop who hit .359 and scored a team-best 66 runs in 2003, doesn't blush because Beamon has told him as much. Kazmar doesn't believe Beamon.

"Naw, he deserves it," Kazmar said. "He has all five tools, and you have to hand it to him. He'll be a (high) pick in the next draft, I believe, so it's an honor to be his roommate and to be on this team. He deserves it 100 percent."

Beamon and Kazmar will play key pivotal roles as CCSN begins the defense of its NJCAA title Friday at 6 p.m., against Fullerton College at Lied Field.

The three main junior-college baseball polls named CCSN as the country's consensus preseason No. 1 team.

"It was so fun and special, more than we ever anticipated it could be," said Coyotes coach Tim Chambers. "The focus right now is, we have to do this again. I think the kids are anxious. Friday, we get to play and see what we're about."

Last season, CCSN (55-10) hit .335 as a team, with a 2.63 earned-run average. It advanced to the NJCAA World Series, in Grand Junction, Colo., and promptly lost its first game, to Seminole.

Then the Coyotes won five in a row, by a combined score of 54-11, to win their first championship in the program's fourth year.

Tyler Coon, a 6-foot-3 hurler out of Silverado High, started the title game against San Jacinto-North and earned the victory.

"It went by so fast," said Coon, 10-3 last season. "It's hard to believe we're ready to kick off again. The fact that you were there makes you want to get back there again, and it puts a lot more pressure on you.

"We're not that team creeping up on everyone no more. Now, we're the hunted. We're at the top. I'm sure every game will be a little more electric this year."

CCSN's newest additions are a Wrigley Field-style, blue brick wall behind home plate, a finesse pitcher who left UNLV and an athletic outfielder who rejected the Philadelphia Phillies.

As a rookie, Beamon hit .342 and was one of five Coyotes with triple figures in total bases. He committed to the University of Texas during the early signing period in November.

His striking burgundy Yukon, with the gleaming fancy rims and dark tinted windows, belies a down-to-earth demeanor that compels him to talk about his teammates rather than himself.

"I think we have a lot of chemistry," Beamon said. "Compared to last year, I don't think we're where we were, at this point. People are getting to know each other better, kind of figuring each other out and how we play, and I think we're coming together."

Coon also committed early to Texas, while Kazmar signed with Georgia for the '05 season. Third baseman Mike Cruz intends to play for UNLV coach Buddy Gouldsmith next season.

That might make amends for the pitcher, Ryan Tabor, whom Chambers found on his doorstep nearly two weeks ago.

"He showed up at my office," Chambers said, "and I wasn't about to let him go to Dixie and beat me."

Tabor, a 6-3 lefty from Green Valley High, strenghtened a CCSN pitching staff that already boasted of veterans Coon and Jabe Beard (13-1). Tabor performed well during a fall-ball stint of 5 1/3 innings at UNLV.

"You can't make any sense why an 18-year-old kid does the things he does sometimes," Gouldsmith said. "It's disappointing, without question. I expected Ryan to contribute well to the success of our team. Certainly, in Tim's situation, you can't let a guy like that leave town."

Chambers said Tabor's defection from UNLV to CCSN has not sullied a relationship with Gouldsmith that both consider solid.

"He understands," Chambers said of Gouldsmith. "The kid made a decision. Sure, they're not happy about it. But, sure, (Gouldsmith) understands that I'm not going to turn down a kid of that magnitude and let him beat me."

That represented the latest recruiting success for Chambers, whose roster was also buoyed when Jordan Parraz turned down Philadelphia.

A 6-3, 212-pound pitcher from Green Valley, Parraz was the Phillies' fourth pick in the last amateur draft, but turned down a signing bonus that Chambers pegged at $200,000 to play for the Coyotes.

Beamon, a Colorado native and one of only two Coyotes who do not hail from Nevada, rejected a similar figure from Pittsburgh. Redrafted by St. Louis last summer, in the 12th round, Beamon didn't even negotiate with the Cardinals.

"Lots of kids think a couple hundred thousand dollars is a good deal, but it just isn't," Chambers said. "If Parraz has a good year this year, he's staring at a million bucks. He's one of the best athletes I've ever seen.

"He tops out at 98 (mph) on the mound. He's regularly at 95, 96. I thought, 'Man, we're not going to get that guy.' All of a sudden, he didn't feel like he got what he was looking for (from Philly)."

The only freshman that Chambers lost from '03 was Don Sutton, a slugger who accounted for 12 of CCSN's 33 home runs, drove in a team-high 71 runs, hit .371 and slugged a Coyotes-best .634.

Sutton accepted an offer from Oakland and is now in the Athletics' system.