Mickey Beach joined Longwood in the summer of 2021 from his alma mater at Coastal Carolina, where he had spent the past five years on staff alongside Oxendine and under 1,200-game winner Gary Gilmore. In that time, Beach served as both a graduate assistant and a student manager and helped the Chanticleers win a pair of Sun Belt titles, including the conference tournament in both 2018 and 2019.
He joined the Longwood baseball staff as a volunteer assistant before becoming an assistant. He helped the team post the best fielding percentage in team history in 2023. During the spring, the Lancers posted a .968 fielding percentage that was the program’s best mark ever, surpassing the 2016 season that saw the team notch a .966 fielding percentage.
Elliot Dix and Gregory Ryan were both all conference selections in 2023 that saw drastic improvement in their fielding from 2022 to 2023. Ryan saw his fielding percentage jump from .966 to .979 over the course of his two seasons with the Lancers. After Longwood, Ryan pursued a professional career where he is currently playing in the Frontier League. Elliot Dix posted a .884 fielding percentage in 2021, and 2023 had improved to .940. Following his career with Longwood, Dix continued his career transferring to the University of North Carolina.
That defense helped the Lancers post a second straight season with at least 20 wins, and the team went 8-5 against in-state competition. The Lancers swept Richmond in a midweek home-and-home series, marking the first time the Lancers have ever swept the Spiders in a season while also winning the first road game at UR in team history. In addition, the eight in-state wins tied the most since the 2011 Lancers won eight games against Commonwealth opponents.
Mickey coached Hunter Gilliam at Longwood. As a Junior, Gilliam posted a .986 percentage in the field, before Mickey played part in Gilliam posting a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage as a Senior at Longwood. Hunter recieved all conference honors as a Senior. From there, Gilliam moved on as a graduate to the University of Kentucky where he made an all defensive team in his lone season with the Wildcats.
During conference play, Longwood notched its highest ranked win in program history. The Lancers took down No. 14 Campbell on April 15 in a 6-3 win. It was the first time the team had won a ranked game since 2016, and it was the first time the Lancers had beaten a program in the top 20.
The Lancers also had a trio of Big South All-Conference selections and one player named to the All-Freshman Team. Third baseman Eliot Dix (Big South First Team) and shortstop Gregory Ryan, Jr. (Big South Second Team) along with pitcher Ryan Miller (Big South Honorable Mention) earned all-conference nods, and it was the second straight season the team has had three All-Big South honorees. Ethan Walker earned the All-Freshman Team selection.
Ryan had one of the best run-producing seasons in team history. The redshirt-senior posted 63 RBI in 2023, the fourth-most in a single season in program history. He led the team in doubles, triples and homers and was among the top 10 in the Big South in all three categories as well as in slugging percentage and OPS.
He had an immediate impact in his first season in 2022. The team had its best winning percentage in a season in over five years in Beach’s first year, which included Longwood’s best finish in conference play since 2016.
Beach led Longwood to a .965 fielding percentage in his first season which included 41 double plays turned which was third in the Big South. The Lancers defense had five players finish with an above .980 fielding percentage that had at least 100 chances to do so.
The Lancers had three players earn All-Big South postseason honors. Hunter Gilliam (first team), Eliot Dix (second team) and Michael Peterson (honorable mention) gave Longwood three all-conference selections for the first time since 2016.
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Mickey Beach brings enthusiasm and an extreme passion for the game of baseball to our program," said Oxendine. "His love for student athletes is unmatched. He has a relentless work ethic that is sure to help develop each player on our squad.
"Mickey has been by my side for the last 4 years. His loyalty and determination to be better every single day is what excites me about him being a Lancer."
As a graduate assistant at Coastal Carolina, Beach earned a pair of master's degrees in three years while also fulfilling coaching duties that included assisting with infielders and serving as a liaison to the analytics team. He also directed the student managers, developing their schedules and responsibilities.
As an undergraduate student at Coastal Carolina, Beach was a student manager for two years while completing his undergraduate degree. He was the head on-field undergraduate manager with duties that included coordinating and organizing the equipment room and working with the operations director.
Outside of Coastal Carolina, Beach was an assistant coach with the Onondaga Flames of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League in 2017. He also worked as an assistant camp coordinator for Gary Gilmore Baseball Camps for five years where he was an instructor and helped market the camp.
Beach holds dual master's degrees in business administration and sport management and an undergraduate degree in recreation and sport management.
