UNSUNG ATHLETES: Bethany Christian's Erickson has passion for people, athletics

Aug. 1—Bethany Christian rising senior Breece Erickson cares about a lot of things in life.

Whether it be playing baseball and tennis, or in the classroom during what he dubs his favorite subject in mathematics, he puts his all into everything he does.

Arguably his biggest passion, though, lies within helping others.

Both Bethany Christian athletic director Gary Chupp and Bethany baseball coach Jim Kraft had glowing reviews of not only his devotion to himself as a player and student, but the way he's always willing to help others in the process.

"I think people would have that opinion of me, because I'm always encouraging other people and trying to bring out the best in what they do," said Erickson of his devotion to leadership. "I just want to make sure everybody is happy and enjoying what they're doing.

"Leading by example is important to me as well. I'm always one of the first people to practice, whether it's an official or unofficial practice. I just have a strong desire to succeed. And my biggest fear on any team is to be a letdown. Just having that desire to succeed is what really pushes me."

Erickson's leadership skills come out in multiple ways, but as a self-proclaimed extrovert, he uses his voice the most when encouraging others within all parts of his life.

"I'm a very vocalized leader," Erickson said. "As a freshman, I honestly just took everything in. I watched what the upperclassmen were doing from a leadership standpoint. And going into my junior year, I just took all of that knowledge, and I've been using it and passing it on in my own way."

ON THE DIAMOND AND ON THE COURT

Baseball isn't Erickson's No. 1 sport, but it's one that's held a special place for him for quite some time.

"I played baseball when I was younger and decided I'd play in high school as well," Erickson said. "I just really enjoy being out on the diamond. I like the team aspect, and I really like coach Kraft. He does a great job of teaching the little things. Everything in baseball that you'd think wouldn't necessarily matter, he preaches and gives stories on how important being great at the little things can be in every game."

In 2021, the team went 12-11 behind a solid foundation of experienced seniors.

With all of them gone, a lot of changes surfaced as the Bruins prepared for the 2022 campaign.

Erickson and then-senior Beck Willems were the only two upperclassmen on the roster this past year, which led to a rollercoaster ride of a season ending with a 10-15 record.

"This last season was tough at times," Erickson said. "We lost three amazing seniors in Tyson Miller, Ethan Boyer and Tony Moser. We had a great season (in 2021) with them leading us, and I knew this past season wasn't going to be easy without them with only one senior on the team."

Despite the overall youth of the team, the Bruins did end their season with a double-digit win total, winning a share of the Hoosier Plains Conference regular season title as well.

"We had a lot of changes throughout the year this past season, but everybody stepped up, and we just came to the realization that when we come together and do the little things, we'll win games," Erickson said.

Baseball is incredibly important to Erickson, but his time spent on the tennis court is what makes him feel the most alive.

"Tennis is my favorite sport, I love it," Erickson said. "It's the sport I hope to move on to play in college with. I started in middle school, and I just found out after that first season how much I loved the game.

"Our coach Matt Miller always talks to us about Roger Federer. When Federer's on the court, he just has this pure joy to him. This pure joy of hitting the ball, and honestly there's nothing more fun than just hitting the ball as hard as you can. It's stupid, and it's kind of random, but (Federer) brings that joy even at the professional level. It honestly describes how I feel about tennis. It really helps me bring out that pure joy."

Since picking up the game in middle school, Erickson's skills have continued to advance at a high level. He expects to be on the No. 1 doubles team during his senior campaign because he believes his top strengths shine the most with a teammate by his side.

"I have the hardest serve on the team," Erickson said. "In doubles, serve-and-return is the biggest part of the game. I just understand the strategy of doubles the best. I know when to go for certain shots, when to make people move. That's what gives me a slighter edge on the doubles court over the others.

"I feel like doubles fits me well because I'm a very extroverted person, and both doubles players kind of have to feed off each other's energy to win. It's very hard to win when one player is down. I'm super competitive when it comes to tennis, so winning is important to me."

A LOOK AT THE FUTURE

As far as what the future holds for Erickson, he knows he plans on playing tennis at the collegiate level.

What he isn't sure about yet is what comes after his athletic career ends.

While he hasn't made a definite decision, he has a couple of ideas.

Erickson hopes to study mathematics to become an educator. If that plan doesn't come to fruition, he'll enter the world of medicine and become a chiropractor.

"That's the class I look forward to every day," said Erickson of math. "Renae Yoder is one of the best math teachers I've ever had. She's brilliant and does a really good job of pushing everyone to do their best."

As of now, Erickson has two schools on the top of his list he hopes to attend after he graduates from Bethany: Alfred University in New York and Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana.

"Those are my top two as of now," said Erickson of both Alfred and Earlham. "I applied for Alfred University's biggest scholarship and ended up getting it. The tennis coach there has really good communication skills, and we've been in touch. He's been really good at getting back to me, and he's truly become a friend to me. That's what I like, I like building friendships.

"I went to Earlham in early July and really liked what I saw. They have one of the more beautiful campuses I've ever seen. And the tennis coach there is a fun guy to talk to as well. I really enjoyed the things he told me as far as his coaching style goes."

Evan Lepak can be reached at evan.lepak@goshennews.com or 574-533-2151, ext. 240326. Follow him on Twitter @EvanMPLepak.