SAXONBURG — It was a phone call Mark Keck never expected to get — but one he welcomed.

The Saxonburg pitcher-middle infielder was recently informed he won the 2011 Coaches’ Choice Butler County American Legion Baseball Player of the Year Award.

“They took me totally by surprise,” Keck said of calls he received from Saxonburg manager Pat Sarnese and Butler City skipper Jerry Piroch. “There are so many great kids in this league, on my team alone.

“To receive an award like this is very special to me.”

Keck beat out Cole Baxter of Center Township and Ryan O’Connor of Cranberry for the award, which, through vote of the BCAL coaches, goes to the player who best exemplifies what a Legion baseball player should be about.

“All I can say about Mark Keck is every coach in the league wants nine just like him on his team,” Piroch said.

“He wears baseball on his sleeve. He never misses a game and he lives to play the game.”

Keck hit around .300 as the leadoff batter in Saxonburg’s lineup. He stole approximately 20 bases and was a starting pitcher in the team’s rotation.

Saxonburg reached the finals of the BCAL Tournament, where it lost to Center Township.

“I’ve coached Mark for 10 years,” Sarnese said. “He’s always been the hardest working kid on his team. He’s always had real knowledge of the game, even as a youngster.

“This award isn’t about statistics. Mark always carried a high degree of sportsmanship and leadership for us. He was a good teammate and has always been a coachable kid. He had a real passion for the game. Those are the reasons he won this award.”

Keck, 19, is a freshman at Penn State-Behrend majoring in environmental system engineering. He is not playing baseball there.

He played two years of varsity baseball at Knoch High School and played Legion ball with Saxonburg for two years.

“My teammates were like my brothers, really,” Keck said.

He added that the competitiveness of the BCAL is something he’ll greatly miss.

“You go back to T-Ball ... you either stomped a team or you got stomped,” Keck said. “The teams in our Legion league were so evenly matched. You had to fight tooth and nail every game.

“Getting to the finals at Pullman Park meant a lot because I know how hard we had to battle to get there. Those were high-intensity games.”

Sarnese said he will miss Keck’s presence in the dugout next season.

“His attitude toward the game reflected on everybody,” Sarnese said. “He never missed a practice or any team function.”

Previous winners of the Coaches’ Choice BCAL Award were Cody McGregor of Center Township in 2008, Randy Hepler of Center Township in 2009 and Jose Cumba of Butler County last year.