Versatile Jeff Bethel boosts Liberty”s playoff hopes

When Liberty High School baseball coach Dom Duncan writes out his lineup card, the toughest decision he may face is where to put Jeff Bethel.

“He’s played all over,” said Duncan. “He played second base his freshman year, third base his sophomore year, shortstop his junior year, caught a little bit in between all that, so he’s one of the guys on our team who’s extremely versatile and can help us out in a lot of different positions.”

This season, the Lancer senior is the team’s primary catcher, but when he’s not behind the plate, he’s in front of it, pitching as Liberty’s closer.

“We used him doing that a few times during summer ball, and he was successful at it,” Duncan said. “We have a lot of confidence, if we can get a lead in the last couple innings and we turn it over to him, that we’ll be able to close the game out.”

For Bethel, who has been catching since the eighth grade, his experience behind the plate has helped him put the ball over it.

“It helps quite a bit because you know what the hitters can do, how the hitters hit and where to pitch them,” said Bethel. “You get a feel for it.”

With all of the positions he has played, Bethel also feels he has made the most strides from the rubber 60 feet 6 inches from home plate.

“I have better location now than I did when I was a sophomore,” he said. “I can throw it harder. All around, I’m a better pitcher than I was as a sophomore.”

Even with the improvement he has made on the mound, the Lancer senior is more valued for his work behind the dish, where he shares time with sophomore Adam Thies.

“He’s got good arm strength,” Duncan said. “He thinks the game, so he knows situations.

“He can call pitches in the right situation. He thinks a lot about the game when he’s catching. I feel comfortable with both our catchers and their abilities to call games and to get the best out of our pitchers.

“He thinks through counts. He understands pitching sequences and things like that. The other catcher (Thies) is also a pitcher, so they work pretty well together. He’s strongest for us right now as a catcher, because it allows us to free up one of our other catchers to play an infield position.

“It allows us to move a couple of other guys around to give us a stronger team.”

Bethel’s willingness to play wherever he is needed has helped Liberty remain in the hunt for a playoff spot in the Bi-County League, something the Lancers have not contended for in the recent past.

“He’s a pretty good leader,” Duncan said. “He is willing to do whatever it takes to win, and that’s rare in these days of high school athletics. We talked to him and the rest of the seniors and said, ‘Hey, we know you’re used to pitching all the time, but if we move some guys around, then we’re going to have a stronger team and give us a better chance of getting in the playoffs.’ “

“We’re better than we have been in the past,” Bethel said. “It was pretty frustrating (losing).

“We had a young team before, and now they’re starting to get experienced. They know what needs to happen to win.”

Bethel’s baseball path began when he was 8 years old, watching the Seattle Mariners make their magical run to the 1995 playoffs.

“I’ve always liked watching it on TV,” Bethel said. “I liked watching the Mariners with Ken Griffey Jr. and Randy Johnson. I just started playing when I was little.

“I’ve watched them at Safeco a couple of times. It was great. It was a nice ballpark, a nice day. I’ll never forget it. It was fun.”

The Lancer, who has been hitting around .360 this season, surprisingly enough would like to improve on that area of his game.

“I’d like to work on my hitting a little bit,” he said. “I have a tendency to pull the ball more than hit it to the opposite field or use the whole field.”

Meantime, Bethel is hoping his versatility earns him a spot on a college roster.

“I’d like to go see if I can play at the Falls (Spokane Falls Community College) or a little junior college somewhere maybe,” Bethel said. “I’ve talked a little bit to the Falls.”

“He’s a good kid,” Duncan said. “He’s good to have around. He keeps the guys loose.

“I expect some good things out of him even after baseball.”