It's difficult for anyone to graduate college with a 4.0 GPA, let alone someone who has to deal with the pressures and demands of collegiate athletics while also trying to excel as a student.
In the last several decades, the list of Hillsdale College athletes who've accomplished that feat is short – just a handful of names.
This spring, the Chargers added another name to that list in senior baseball player Lewis Beals, who not only graduated from Hillsdale College with a perfect 4.0 GPA and in the top five in his class, but also did it while putting together an excellent career on the diamond as a big-time player for the Chargers.
For his unique accomplishments, Beals has earned one final big collegiate honor as he heads off to medical school this fall. The Great Midwest Athletic Conference has named Beals as its Scholar-Athlete of the Year for 2023, saluting his achievements on the diamond and in the classroom.
Beals is the third Charger and the second Chargers male athlete to receive the G-MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in its 11 years of existence, joining 2020 graduate Victoria Addis and 2021 graduate Joey Brenner. The graduated senior from Mason, Michigan also is the first baseball player to win the G-MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award.
The award comes in addition to being named a College Sports Communicators Academic All-American for the second-straight season earlier this month. Beals was one of 10 players at the NCAA DII level to receive first team Academic All-American honors and just the second baseball player in Hillsdale history to earn the distinction.
"At Hillsdale, we get asked a lot whether it's really possible for someone to be one of the top performers in the country in their sport while at the same time being one of the top students in the nation as well," Hillsdale College baseball coach Tom Vessella said. "Lew is living proof that while it's not easy, it's doable.
"On and off the field, he is a diligent and driven person who is focused on getting the best out of himself in whatever he does. He's been a joy to coach and I'm so excited for him and his future."
Beals arrived at Hillsdale with a clear set of goals – to be the best baseball player he could be, and academically, achieve at a high level to accomplish his goal of earning a spot in a top medical school and becoming a medical doctor. In the classroom, Beals emphatically met the second goal, graduating from Hillsdale College with a 4.0 GPA and a B.S. in Biochemistry this spring and finishing in the top five in his class.
As befitting a student who was at the top of his graduating class, Beals' list of academic accomplishments is long – along with being a two-time CSC Academic All-American, he also earned five Academic All-Conference honors. At Hillsdale College, he won the Biology Department's Junior Scholar Award in 2022 for his achievements, and in the summer of 2022 he worked with Dr. Sang-Chul Nam at Hillsdale on research into Alzheimers, contributing to a published work titled "Comparison of Tau and Amyloid beta induced oxidation of optic disc mitochondria in Drosophila melongaster".
"The thing that sets Lew apart is that he's one of the most organized people you'll ever meet," Vessella said. "He builds calendars weeks and months out dividing up his time and making sure he was budgeting enough time to every aspect of his life to achieve at a high level.
"That level of drive and dedication carries over into everything he does. He's someone who from the very beginning has known exactly what he wants to do, set goals for himself, and spent the last five years being relentless in pursuit of those goals."
As a player, the graduated senior from Mason, Michigan had a solid final season for the Chargers in 2023, helping Hillsdale to 20 wins in conference play for the first time in program history and a top four finish in the G-MAC. Beals finished second on the team in total hits (57) and RBIs (40) while hitting .308 with nine doubles, eight home runs and a .508 slugging percentage. The senior also made several impressive catches in the outfield, helping to fortify a defense that shattered the Hillsdale program record with a .966 fielding percentage.
Beals did all this despite being less than a year removed from a devastating leg injury that cut his junior season short in 2022. There were questions about whether the damage sustained would allow Beals to be the same player he was before the injury, but the senior answered any doubts with impressive work in rehab. Beals made his return to the lineup ahead of schedule, starting 48 games for Hillsdale in 2023 and providing the same strong bat in the lineup and steady play in right field as before he suffered the injury.
"I think Lew would tell you that he never had a doubt he would get back to where he was, because he's always had a good understanding of his body and his limits," Vessella said. "But it only happened because he really attacked his rehab aggressively and diligently, followed the plan to the T and put everything he could into getting himself back into shape.
"That only happens because Lew is a high-character, dedicated person who never stops trying to get better, and it really showcases the traits that allowed him to succeed at such a high level here."
The Mason, Michigan native was an impressive contributor throughout his career at Hillsdale. As a junior, Beals finished with the second-best slugging percentage (.776) and the sixth-most home runs (14) in a single season in program history while earning first-team All-G-MAC honors and consensus All-Region honors. A gifted hitter capable of providing both average and power, Beals' 23 career home runs rank seventh all-time at Hillsdale, and his six triples are tied for 10th.
Along with his work in the classroom and as a college athlete, Beals also found time to give back to the community, volunteering at Hillsdale Hospital in both the laboratory and emergency room throughout his time at Hillsdale, as well as with Mary Randall Preschool on the Hillsdale College campus.
Beals plans to attend medical school in the fall to pursue an M.D., and leaves behind a tremendous legacy at Hillsdale College with his accomplishments on and off the field.
Photo by Steve George