Mike Speck just wanted to make contact with the ball and help his team get a win. He found the right pitch and lined it down the third-base line, bringing home the game-winning run to help keep postseason hopes alive for the Fort Smith Marshals.
Speck had a three-hit game in the second game of a doubleheader on July 27 as the Marshals swept both games against Abilene. His third hit walked things off with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, driving in the winning run that gave the Marshals a 9-8 victory.
“I was just looking for a pitch to hit; I knew what situation we were in as a team, and I knew we had two outs, so was just looking to hit something hard and see what happens,” Speck said. “We’re trying to push for the playoffs. … We’re just sticking to it, grinding and going out day after day. I mean, it’s best to come out here and play baseball every single day.”
Speck, primarily an outfielder who has also pitched on occasion, is in his second season with the Marshals, having played for them during their inaugural season last summer. He was hoping for the chance to return to the team this season, and is grateful every day for the opportunity.
“It was a blast, it was a lot of fun (playing for the Marshals last season), and I was really lucky and fortunate to be able to come back,” Speck said. “And I love Fort Smith; the people are great, the team’s great, the front office staff is great. I mean, it’s just a great place all around and it gives me a chance to keep playing the game, so I can’t complain.”
Speck is originally from Pennsylvania, hailing from a town called Roaring Spring. He played baseball and soccer at Central High School in nearby Martinsburg.
While baseball was, and still is, his favorite sport, the sometimes unpredictable and generally colder Pennsylvania weather made Speck decide he wanted to eventually go south when playing at the next level. He ended up at Spalding University in Louisville, Ky.
Speck then found out about the Marshals fielding a team and hooked up with their manager last season, Steve Maddock, about an opportunity. Speck ended up enjoying his time with the Marshals last year so much that he wanted to come back. And although he’s happy to be playing in a warmer climate, Speck is still trying to get adjusted to the humidity.
“I have never played baseball in weather like this, where you have to change (certain articles of clothing) two times a day,” Speck said. “The only thing I didn’t like (about Pennsylvania) was the weather, and I moved south to college; I was in the Carolinas and in Kentucky, and I stayed south ever since I left home at 18.”
Playing in the outfield, Speck remarked one of his strengths is his ability to read fly balls that are hit toward him.
Speck, whose last season playing at Spalding was in 2024 as a sixth-year senior, is still trying to figure out a place to continue playing baseball. He definitely hasn’t ruled out a possibility to return to the Marshals for a third season. Even if it means enduring another humid summer.
“I’ll take it day by day, and we’ll see what happens,” Speck said. “I do want to continue playing the game for at least a few more years, and we’ll see what happens. It’s a very high chance (I want to return to the Marshals). If the team’s here and the (Mid-America) League’s here, I would love to be back.”