Blake Belcher was a standout player on Howard Payne’s 1997 American Southwest Conference champion baseball team. After playing at Abilene Christian, Belcher transferred to HPU from Ranger College. As a junior, he was named ASC Most Valuable Player after leading the Yellow Jackets to a 28-19 season and the conference championship. The first baseman hit .401 with 9 home runs, 18 doubles, 49 RBI and scored 50 runs in 47 games. He had 35 walks while striking out only 18 times. During the 1997 season, HPU defeated a Division I opponent, UT-Arlington, and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament for the first time. As a senior in 1998, Belcher hit .390 with four home runs, 21 doubles, 47 RBI and 51 runs in 44 games as the team won a school-record 32 games in 1998, finishing second in the ASC. HPU was ranked in the Division III Top 25 most of the season and Belcher was voted first-team all-conference. Originally from Holliday, Texas, Belcher graduated with an education degree and spent a year as a graduate assistant on the HPU baseball team. He has spent two decades as a teacher and high school baseball coach, with his last head coaching job at Jacksboro High School.