After an excellent showing last spring, junior second baseman Tate Beran entered this season with great expectations for Geneva. Hitting .355 a year ago put that spotlight on himself.
Beran then experienced a rocky start this spring and it started to snowball on him. As he tried to sort things out, he was dropped from the leadoff spot to ninth in the Vikings’ batting order.
“It takes a toll mentally,” Beran said. “There are different parts of the game like my fielding. My fielding has been really good this year. That’s how I give back when my hitting’s not too good.
“Hopefully, my hitting will fall eventually.”
Sometimes, all it takes is one big moment to turn it around. Beran is hoping his go-ahead, two-run double in Friday’s wild 7-6 DuKane Conference win over rival Batavia is that moment for him.
Beran dumped a double onto the foul line in left field with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning to give Geneva (19-3, 8-2) the lead for good. Alex Abraham also went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer. Aidan Hall and Ryan Kastor each hit solo homers.
Geneva’s Tate Beran (3) reacts after his go-ahead, two-run double helped beat Batavia in a DuKane Conference game in Geneva on Friday, May 1, 2026. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
Liam Darre hit a two-run homer in the first inning to give Batavia (8-10-1, 4-4) the early lead. Michael Vander Luitgaren added a two-run triple, while Ryan Rodriguez chipped in with a two-run double and Brandon Oke ended up 2-for-3.
Knowing how difficult things have been for Beran, Geneva coach Brad Wendell was happy to see something finally go his way.
“I’m so happy for him,” Wendell said. “And to find a line? It literally hit the line. That’s Tate just grinding and good things will happen. He’s put better at-bats together as we’ve started conference play.”
Wendell understands how quickly things can get away from a struggling player, especially in a relatively short season.
Geneva’s Tate Beran (3) and Matthew Martija (13) celebrate after beating Batavia in a DuKane Conference game in Geneva on Friday, May 1, 2026. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
“You know how it is, you start a little slow and things start to pile up on you a little bit,” Wendell said. “I think he got too anxious, too hungry, and it took him awhile to get back into his little groove.
“When guys have good seasons young, expectations are high. He’ll just keep competing and he’ll do a great job for us.”
Beran pointed out he had started to see signs that he was breaking out of it even before his big moment Friday.
“I’m really trying to see more pitches and not get myself out early in the count,” Beran said.
Geneva’s Tate Beran (3) watches his hit against Batavia in the third inning of a DuKane Conference game in Geneva on Friday, May 1, 2026. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
Batavia led 2-0 until the bottom of the third when Geneva put together a four-run rally, all coming with two outs. Abraham’s three-run shot was followed by Kastor’s solo shot. Hall’s solo homer led off the fourth to make it 5-2.
The Bulldogs responded with a four-run fourth, highlighted by Vander Luitgaren’s two-run triple and Rodriguez’s two-run double for a 6-5 lead.
“A bounce here, a ball on the line, it was a really good game between two really good teams,” Batavia coach Alex Beckmann said. “We always say, no lead is safe here, even with the wind blowing in.
“It was a great back-and-forth rivalry game. There were a lot of people here. It was fun — good to see.”
Geneva’s Gavin Dworak (22) and Nelson Wendell (5) score runs in the seventh inning of a DuKane Conference game in Geneva on Friday, May 1, 2026. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
Nelson Wendell was hit by a pitch and Gavin Dworak legged out an infield single to set up Beran’s heroics.
“I was trying to go opposite field but I got ahead of myself and tried to pull it down the line,” Beran said. “Shout out to my teammates for getting on base and putting me in that position.”
He’s hoping to build on it.
“As it’s gone so far, having a moment like that, it’s a ton of stress,” Beran said. “But just take a deep breath and know my chance is coming.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.