Foreman Flourishes at the Hot Corner for Behrend Baseball

Penn State Behrend baseball is consistently one of the top teams in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. Led by head coach Paul Benim, this ball club has proven they can win ball games in a lot of different ways. The Lions have one of the top left sides of the infield in the region thanks to the play of shortstop Scott Sada and third baseman Justin Foreman. This duo has played in over 100 games together through their careers, but their bond extends beyond the diamond as they both study plastics engineering technology. These two will be called upon to lead the Lions offense in 2019, and it is a task that South Fayette High School grad Justin Foreman is ready to handle.

Foreman is coming off of a career season in which he posted a .323 batting average while slugging seven home runs and recording 36 runs batted in. Justin raised his average by over .100 points from the previous season and his strikeouts at the dish dropped significantly. While Foreman was happy to raise his average and reduce the strikeouts, he is not satisfied with his approach at the plate as well as his fielding percentages. “There is always something I can improve at.” Foreman admitted. “I have had some woes and have been known to strike out quite a bit. It was a good feeling to raise my average and reduce my strikeouts, but I know I can always work on something else to make be a better hit and also I can continue to become a better fielder. I want to be known as a well rounded player.” While Justin has loved the game of baseball for a long time, it is not as long as some would expect.

Growing up in Arizona as a youngster, Foreman played basketball among a few other sports not including baseball. At the age of 8, the Foreman’s packed their bags and made the journey to suburban Pittsburgh and settled in Oakdale, Pennsylvania. It was then that Justin’s mom Bevin raised the question to her son which sport he wanted to focus on. Justin’s options included basketball, hockey, and of course baseball. Foreman was eager to give baseball a try, so he joined a local Little League at the age of nine. This decision was one that truly changed his life in a variety of ways. After a few years of playing baseball, Foreman’s love for the game and his skill began to improve quickly which led to him deciding to play travel baseball for a few different ball clubs. When asking Justin how travel baseball helped him raise his game, he said “Travel baseball was such a fun time. It allowed me to play against the best of the best which was not always the case in high school. It makes you raise your game and play harder. We would play against some of the best ball players in the nation and it was a fun experience but also pushed me to play harder and get better.”

While Foreman played a lot of baseball, he also held down a job through his entire high school career. “There were a lot of late nights during the school year.” Foreman explained. I would go to school for seven to eight hours a day, go to practice or my game, and then go to work. After work, I would sit down for a few hours and do homework and study. It forced me to grow up quick and it taught me the importance of discipline and hard work. I felt very prepared coming to Behrend because I already had experienced great structure and made good habits because of what I did during high school.” This experience prepared him for what was to come balancing a sport with great demand along with a major with an equal amount of demand.

In his junior season, Justin was able to put absolutely everything together as he earned a spot on the AMCC All-Second Team as well as being selected as an Academic AMCC athlete. In his senior year, he has hopes to raise his game both on the field and in the classroom, but admitted the AMCC title is what he has his sights on in collegiate season number four. To get to this point in his life, he spoke of a lot of people who have pushed him and supported him in his journey. To start, he wanted to speak of his parents Bevin and Steven who supported his travel baseball career as well as his choice to attend Penn State Behrend over a few other schools. “My mom is one of the biggest sports fans I know. She also does not sugar coat anything, but if you deserve praise, she is the first one who will be there to congratulate you. Her honesty and love means a lot to me. My dad has also been my personal coach all of my life and I owe a lot to him for helping me become a better ball player.”

Foreman also spoke about the bond he shares with his peers Zach Jaap and Jake Oddo. The three of them share a house together and have spent countless hours studying and working on projects. His teammates Scott Sada and Eric Mikulan have also helped him as well as he help them to make sure they are all able to handle baseball while also balancing school. He also expressed his gratitude to coach Benim for his great attention to detail in the baseball program as well as his gratitude for coach Anthony Fanelli who has helped him become a much more consistent hitter in the few short months he has worked with him. Lastly, Foreman mentioned two great men who unfortunately are no longer able to see all of his success.

Jason Foreman, who is not related to Justin despite sharing the last name, was Justin’s travel coach and a former Division II baseball player who lost his life far too early. He helped mold Justin into a better ball player and the formed a great friendship over the game. Additionally, Justin’s high school and travel baseball teammate Billy Newcomer is one of Justin’s close friends who lost his life in 2017. These two shared quite a close bond and Foreman has dedicated the remained of his career to this dear friend who was a huge baseball fan.

With some question marks surrounding the full extent of starting pitchers and also the unforeseen circumstances surrounding the catcher position, Justin is impressed with how everyone on the team has responded and rose their game. He likes where the team is at right now and is anxious to play some ball in Florida. With some key departures from last season, Behrend still returns a great chunk of their team with a lot of experience. The freshman class also features some great talent which is a great sign for the kind of year the Lions can have. With Justin Foreman and company leading the way, Behrend baseball has a great chance to win the AMCC title in Justin’s final season.