A former player for the Colorado Rockies baseball organization is sliding into the head baseball coach position at Alta High.

Jentry Beckstead, a 1998 Alta graduate who has been an assistant coach for the Hawks, recently accepted the top job. Although the season doesn’t start until spring, Beckstead already is mulling his goals for the program and starting to lay the groundwork for a positive relationship with Alta baseball boosters. 

“I plan to reach out to parents to talk about the direction we want to take the program and where we’d like the program to go,” said Beckstead, who pitched in both the minor and major leagues.

“I played in every level they had,” he said with a quiet laugh. Beckstead was chosen by the Rockies in the 38th round.

“When you first sign, when you get drafted, you obviously aren’t ready for the big leagues,” he said.  “So they work with you and let you know the ways they would like things done. You start at the bottom and you work your way up. It was a grind – but it was worth it.”

Beckstead says the Alta players are hard workers, and sees a willingness to focus on skill refinement. He also says he’s impressed with the level of talent on the team. 

“As a team, I want to see everyone improve on a daily basis,” he said. “In order to do that, you have to be able to play and work together and rely on each other.”