Chris Masse on Loyalsock boys hoops: Keefer hasn’t let injuries demotivate him
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He has been broken the past two seasons but doctors keep sewing Kayden Keefer back up and he keeps coming back strong.
A three-sport athlete, Keefer tore his meniscus and his labrum, costing him most of his freshmen and sophomore seasons. Still, he fought his way back in time for Loyalsock's last two games a year ago, going 4 for 8 with three RBIs at the Backyard Brawl despite being cleared just two days earlier.
Healthy for the first time as a high school baseball player, Keefer is proving that small sample size last season is more the norm than the exception. The junior center fielder has settled into the lead-off spot, helping Loyalsock (6-4) rally from an 0-3 start to move into a first-place tie in the rugged HAC-III.
"I've been injured the last three years of high school constantly. It took a while to come back, but I'm back now and it feels good," Keefer said. "It's a great feeling to play with these guys and win some games."
Keefer is a big reason Loyalsock has turned things around and won six of its last seven games while staying in the playoff hunt. He is excelling from the lead-off spot, compiling a .547 on-base percentage and scoring 15 runs.
Free of pain, Keefer is becoming a weapon on the bases and in center field. He has six steals and combines with Chase Wright and Preston Gross to give Loyalsock one of the area's quickest outfields, something which loomed large in last Thursday's wild 17-14 win against Bloomsburg.
"Nothing seems to faze him," Loyalsock coach Jimmy Webb said. "We saw that at the Brawl when he didn't play all year and stepped in and played great."
Loyalsock took a big graduation hit last June and needed to plug a lot of holes. Having Keefer the player back has gone a long way in helping that cause. But so, too, has having Keefer the person back.
On a team short on varsity experience, Keefer has set a positive tone. He has faced a lot more adversity than a few losses or a multi-run deficit during a game. Having that perspective helps and Loyalsock has reflected Keefer, becoming a resilient team which consistently has fought back to win games, including from a five-run deficit against Lewisburg.
Keefer has traveled a difficult high school road but he has stayed the course. So have his teammates and a player who appeared to be broken in pieces at times is helping Loyalsock put the pieces in place.
"I'm grateful to be back," Keefer said. "It's exciting."
"He's stepped into that leadership role," Webb said. "He's the guy that goes and gets us for it. We can rely on him."
FIGHTING BACK: Instead of crumbling following the 0-3 start, Loyalsock pulled closer together. The Lancers have surged into playoff contention and continued improving Saturday when they blanked Central Columbia, 9-0. Deryk Kulp threw a masterful three-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts, Wright produced his second straight three-hit game, Jaydn Wagner added two, Gross tripled and John Kiehl and Dolan Harman doubled.
Thursday's Bloomsburg game was a roller coaster of a ride. But every time Bloomsburg put together a big inning, Loyalsock responded with one of its own. Freshmen Brecken Gusick had never thrown a varsity inning but took over in a one-run game and threw two hitless innings, while different players produced key hits and/or plays throughout the game.
"We've been punched in the mouth a lot this year and we've never stayed down. We get right back up and we go at it," Webb said. "The guys want it. That's refreshing as a coach when you don't need to say the things that are going wrong. They already know and want to get better. They're not satisfied."
EXTRA BASES: Muncy has started five freshmen at times this season but is coming on strong and making big strides. The Indians (4-3) have won three straight games, scoring 46 runs in those contests. Muncy thumped Sullivan County and Benton by a 33-9 margin last week, scoring the last 17 runs against Sullivan and collecting 22 hits in those wins. Seven different players collected multi-hit games and Jacob Johnson hit a game-changing home run to spark the comeback against Sullivan ... St. John Neumann also stayed hot last week, defeating CMVT, 12-4. The Knights (7-2) already have matched last year's win total and have won six of their last seven games. Maverick Dunkleberger, Angelo Birch and Andrew Walter all had two hits against CMVT with Dunkleberger adding four RBIs ... Hughesville took third at Saturday's Shamokin Tournament, downing fellow 3A playoff contender Troy, 11-9. Trent Wetzel went 4 for 4 with a double, Connor Anstadt was 3 for 5 with three runs and Wynter Fogelman went 2 for 2 with four RBIs. Blake Babb improved to 4-0 on the mound and Graden Dohl earned a save, helping Hughesville (6-4) snap a three-game losing streak ... Zach Myers and Greyson Confair combined on a four-hitter with nine strikeouts, helping Jersey Shore defeat Shikellamy, 5-1. Austin Rhinehart and Carter Rhinehart both produced three hits ... Parker Bennett threw his second straight five-inning shutout in Montgomery's 13-0 win at Milton. Bennett struck out 25 batters in those games and allowed just two hits. Teammate Ethan Hugar is emerging at the plate and went 4 for 7 with four RBIs in three games last week ... South Williamsport rallied from a run down in the sixth to walk off with a 6-5 win against Hanover in eight innings Saturday. Senior Tadd Lusk led the charge, going 4 for 5 with three RBIs. Freshman Jaymes Carpenter is coming on strong and is 3 for 5 with two doubles over his last two games. Sophomore pitcher Chance Quimby allowed one run in 4 2/3 innings against Hanover, while Trace Wertz collected two hits ... Canton catcher Bailey Gardner was locked in during consecutive games against Troy and Sullivan County, going 5 for 6 with a home run, two doubles and five RBIs ... Cowanesque Valley (6-1) has moved to the top of the District 4 Class A standings following consecutive wins against Oswayo Valley. Levi Stahli went 5 for 5 in those games and Loagan Stickler was 4 for 6 with a home run and seven RBIs.
–Masse may be reached at cmasse@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @docmasse