Becker Signs with Lewis University

Harper baseball player Kurt Becker recently signed with Div. II Lewis University. (Jim Cummins)

PALATINE, Ill. – While sophomore baseball player Kurt Becker (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) still has one more year of baseball ahead of him at Harper College, he now has a home beyond the 2014 Hawks season. Becker recently signed an NCAA National Letter of Intent to continue his baseball career at Div. II Lewis University in Romeoville.

Becker, a Palatine High school grad, earned Second Team All-Region honors as a freshman in the spring of 2013, hitting .377 with two homers, 28 RBIs, and 14 doubles.

Lewis pitching coach Scott Sobkowiak first talked to the standout third baseman at the Oakton sophomore showcase over the summer. Sobkowiak liked Becker's swing and what he brought to the table in the field.

After back-and-forth conversation throughout the fall, Becker made a trip to Lewis' campus a few weeks ago and liked what he saw.

"He (Sobkowiak) just handed me off to the players to get a tour around campus. It was pretty cool because that means they really trust the players," Becker said. "They seemed like they were having a lot of fun there."

Becker then met head coach Tim McDonough on campus, who is in his seventh season in charge of the Flyers program. Last year under McDonough, the Flyers were 33-18 overall and set a program record with 23 conference wins. In 2012, the Flyers earned their first NCAA Tournament berth since 1996, where they finished fifth.

"When I talked to him, his baseball philosophy seemed consistent with coach (Paul) Belo (Palatine coach) and Coach (Cliff) Brown of Harper," Becker said.

Becker, who plans on getting his Bachelor of Science in Secondary Mathematics Education Degree at Lewis, feels that with the pressure to find a four-year school to play at gone, he can really focus in on the upcoming spring season for the Hawks.

"I can focus on working towards our team goal to get to Tyler, Texas, and I think I could try to help other guys find a place to play at in the future because we have a lot of talented players."