Shortly after North Davidson won the Touchstone Energy Beach Diamond Baseball Invitational Tournament in Shallotte, a couple of local kids approached Black Knights star Austin Beck, wanting his autograph.

It has gotten to that level for Beck, who is projected to go as high as No. 4 to the Tampa Bay Rays or No. 5 overall to the Atlanta Braves in the June major league draft.

Droves of scouts were all over West Brunswick's Mike Alderson Field, closely scrutinizing Beck's every move. But it was nothing new since scouts are at every North Davidson game.

"There's been quite a few at every game," Beck said. "You can't really look in the stands too far into it. Just go out there and play your game and you'll be all right."

They saw the whole range of things from Beck, including his seventh home run of the year, a huge blast to right center. They saw him get challenged by St. Mary's pitcher Stephen Pelli, who struck him out, and they saw him get an intentional walk with runners on first and second.

Beck even closed two of the games, prompting one scout to ask out loud, "How hard does he throw?"

None of it seems to faze Beck.

"I think he's kind of used to it," said North coach Matt Griffin. "I don't think he puts any extra pressure on himself."

Beck and his parents have met with numerous representatives from Major League teams. Major League Baseball has asked for pictures of Beck to use in their draft coverage. The prospect of being one of the first players picked is met with a shrug.

"I don't really pay much attention to it," Beck said. "You have to take it with a grain of salt. Just go out there and play your game and play as hard as you can."

The Oakland Athletics have the No. 6 pick, which puts them right in the mix to possibly take Beck, and one of their area scouts, Neil Avent, was in attendance all three games.

"He's obviously a talented kid," Avent said, "a local kid we've had the opportunity to see quite a bit this season. ... There's so many good players out there. We do have our favorites but obviously we don't see the whole country so it's hard to make an assessment of where these guys will go."

Beck's rising stock comes in the aftermath of his successful knee surgery. He was injured warming up prior to North's first round state playoff game last spring.

"I think going into the year he was somebody maybe not quite as many people knew about right away," Avent said. "But he's obviously real talented and has attracted quite a bit of attention this year, which is nice. It's good for the team and good for him."

A side effect is the attention North's program is getting.

"It's good for North Davidson in general," Griffin said. "They don't just watch Austin. They watch the whole game. Just like when a college coach comes around, they watch all the players. They see everybody. It could be somebody's time to have a big day and they see that."

The attention on Beck will probably intensify as North's regular season draws to a close and the playoffs loom for the 4-A defending state champions.

"He's handled it well," Griffin said. "I think he understands what he's got to do. He's going to keep doing what's best for the team and not put too much pressure on himself."

Mike Duprez can be reached at (336) 249-3981, ext. 218 or sports@the-dispatch.com. Follow Mike on Twitter@LexDispatch_md