Rasmussen excited for chance to play baseball at Rockhurst

Louisburg senior Beckett Rasmussen made it official last week when he signed his letter of intent to play baseball at Rockhurst next year.

Baseball has always been a passion
for Beckett Rasmussen and it is something that he has found a lot of success.

Since he began playing T-Ball in
kindergarten, Rasmussen has always considered baseball his favorite sport,
despite being involved in others.

“I have a lot of great friends
that play football, and it is a lot of fun to play, but baseball is just my
happy place,” Rasmussen said. “I can get away and just enjoy myself.”

Rasmussen will get to do just that next year as he signed his letter of intent to play baseball at Rockhurst University. He made the commitment public on Jan. 16 during a signing ceremony in front of family and friends at Louisburg High School.

Rockhurst, which is a Division II
program in Kansas City, Mo., presented Rasmussen with an offer of a lifetime
and he just couldn’t pass it up.

“I am super excited,” he said. “It is a great university, both academically and they also have a great baseball team. Being able to work hard from a young age to now, and see it all pay off is just amazing.”

Rasmussen, who has been a member
of the Louisburg varsity baseball team the last two years, will play his final
season for the Wildcats and has filled several roles for the Wildcats. Along
with playing catcher, he has played several other positions around the diamond.

It is ability to play multiple spots,
and his leadership in the dugout, that has allowed him to find success with the
Wildcats.

“We are very happy for Beckett,” Louisburg coach
Joel McGhee said. “He will take a great attitude, work ethic, and team
mentality to the Rockhurst program. His multi-sport background, leadership in
the classroom, and school involvement are essential to developing a quality
program. We wish him the best as he continues on to next level, and are looking
forward to what he will bring to our program in his senior season.”

Last season, Rasmussen had 67 plate appearances
for the Wildcats and finished the year with 13 hits, eight RBIs and scored 12
runs. Although his favorite position is catcher, he is willing to do whatever
it takes to see the field.

“My main position is catcher, but I like
to play other positions as well,” Rasmussen said. “For high school, I probably
played close to eight different positions all year. I look forward to catching
there, but if they need me to play other positions I would be happy to. As long
as I am on the field I don’t really care.

“The goal is to get playing time,
whether it is behind the plate or in the field. I just want to be able to play
as a freshman. They have a junior varsity team and I think that is a good way
to get reps. Hopefully I can play there for a couple of years and then
hopefully make varsity.”

Last season, Rockhurst finished
with a 20-29 record overall and were 10-18 in the GLVC Conference. But when
Rasmussen, who plans to major in communications, made his official visit, he
liked everything he saw – from the school to the coaching staff.

“The coaches are amazing,”
Rasmussen said. “I had a personal interview with the head coach and he was the
nicest guy. He was just short, sweet and to the point. He was very straight
forward and direct. He told me that he liked what he saw out of me and I think
it will be a good fit.

“Being able to face kids that have
the same desire and passion that you do in a sport is awesome because you know
they are going to try just as much as you are. It is going to make me better as
a player and a person.”