When Trevor Cho was hired as the field manager for the Lakeshore Chinooks, there was one person he immediately knew had to be on his roster.

That would be none other than Josh Overbeek, whom Cho met during his years of coaching travel baseball.

“He plays the exact same way he does now,” Cho said. “First impression, just hard-nosed (and) did all the little things the right way. When I got hired, he was one of the first names I put down. That was an easy choice.”

Overbeek’s season was cut short due to a thumb injury, but he finished batting .238 with 19 RBIs and 33 walks in 44 contests as a Chinook.

Cho said that Overbeek’s consistency on and off the field along with his dedication to the game made it hard to keep him out of the lineup.

“It’s a lead by example thing where I have no reason to take him out,” Cho said. “He’s the first one into (the) open cage every day. He’s the last one to leave. He’s spoken up when he needs to, but it’s more so like ‘watch me and I’m going to do it.’ He’s done it every day.”

Gabe Roessler, Overbeek’s former teammate and fellow infielder at Lakeshore, said that his work ethic has been an inspiration for the rest of the team.

“By showing up every day and showing that he can play just builds the overall aura that that’s what’s expected out of us,” Roessler said. “(It’s) to show up every day the same and ready to play.”

This same determination led to his success at Cisco Junior College this past spring. In his sophomore campaign, the Dry Run, Ohio native hit .415 with 11 home runs, 17 doubles, 55 RBIs, 16 steals and 38 walks.

“(He’s) an absolute stud,” Cisco head coach David White said. “He was our leader. When Beek went, we went. He’s the stallion, he’s that wild horse. He’s hard to wrangle, you just let him go do his thing.”

White said that Overbeek’s constant positive mindset is what made him not just a successful athlete, but also a perfect teammate.

“(When) kids make a mistake, he’s there to pat them on the back instead of grind on them,” White said. “He had positive energy. He’s not a negative guy. Even when was struggling, he worked at it. He didn’t gripe, he didn’t cuss, he didn’t throw stuff.”

Overbeek credited his father, a member of the Air Force, for his ‘we over me’ mentality.

“You put your brother first,” Overbeek said. “If he’s doing the same thing to you, good things will happen. If you don’t have good teammates, you’re not going to have a good team. It comes down to just being a good person because this game reveals character.”

Overbeek’s hard work has paid off, as the 6-foot-2, 210 pounder will be donning the red and white of Nebraska for his junior year.

“It’s definitely a breath of fresh air,” Overbeek said. “I’ve been grinding, trying to play every day and getting back to where I need to be, so that when I do show up in the fall, I’m ready to go. I’ve done some research and it’s (Nebraska) a good place to be with good coaches. It’s an opportunity for me to go dig in, hit the ball hard, throw it and have some fun.”

Through the constant grind that the sport of baseball brings, Overbeek said that he is constantly reminded to never take the game for granted.

“The good Lord gives me the privilege to be here every day and breathe,” Overbeek said. “Until he takes that away from me, it’s one of those things (that) if I get to wear a baseball uniform, it’s a good day. You have to step back and realize where you are in Mequon, a beautiful town on a beautiful field with great teammates (and) great people around you.

“If you’re not looking at those, you can lose sight of what the true meaning of the game is and why everyone’s here playing.”