Beatrice hires school alum, former Husker pitcher Andy Bent as new baseball coach

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Beatrice High School announced the hiring of school alumni and former Nebraska pitcher Andy Bent as new head baseball coach on Friday.

Bent returns to Nebraska after 12 years of coaching at Clay Center High School in Kansas and he spent the four years prior to that as head coach in Crete. The Orangemen went 4-17 in 2026 and now Bent will look to right the ship of his hometown team.

“This place just believing in me, you know, I can’t tell you all the messages and phone calls already today,” Bent said on a video call on Friday. “I just want to bring everything that’s expected of me to this town and I’m so grateful. You know, Beatrice made me what I am today and now it’s my turn to return the favor.”

He said he jumped on the opportunity right after seeing the job become available.

“My resume was ready when I got here in May just in case anything opened up. But, I was definitely ready to go,” Bent said.

As someone who played at the collegiate level, and the minor leagues, Bent said a big goal of his as a coach is to get his players to where he got to.

“I’ve been through it all and I feel like I can give them a good idea of what it takes,” Bent said. “I think back to all the great coaches I had here and how much I take from them, and then I can pass along to all these young kids. And I’ve had a chance to get out and do some one-on-one lessons with the younger kids this summer and get to know them. Just excited for me to be a teacher and a coach here and there are no words for it, really. I’m just so excited to be here.”

Bent said he’s not wasting any time getting used to his new players, taking some out to go hit on Friday.