Butler grad setting in
His sacrifice fly in the first inning brought home a run.
He scored himself after drilling a double over the center fielder's head in the third inning.
A couple of productive at-bats for Butler graduate and Butler BlueSox third baseman Jacob Keene Friday night, to be sure.
And a couple of significant ones, as far as he's concerned.
“It's taken a while for the game to come back to me,” Keene said. “I feel like that's happening now.”
Keene had four hits in his first 13 at-bats this summer. While hitting above .300 feels good, the sound of the ball coming off his bat feels even better.
“That kid can just plain hit,” BlueSox manager Dan Helgert said. “We're counting on his bat.”
Keene has two years of baseball eligibility remaining at Tiffin University. He is majoring in finance and is on track to graduate next spring.
The Dragons reached the G-MAC championship game this spring and finished 29-16. Keene appeared in just four games, however, and was hitless in six at-bats.
He missed his entire sophomore season after tearing the UCL in his elbow playing summer baseball in Texas in 2019.
“Our (Tiffin) coach sent a few of us down there to play,” Keene said. “I stayed with a host family and it was a cool experience. You never want to get hurt, but as it turned out, the timing wasn't so bad for me.
“COVID-19 wiped out the 2020 season and I wouldn't have been able to play anyway.”As a freshman at Tiffin, Keene appeared in 21 games and started eight of them. Though he struggled at the plate, hitting .139, he appeared to be working his way into the mix for his sophomore year before COVID and his injury altered that script.“This year, it was hard to get on the field,” he said of Tiffin. “We had so many seniors come back to play that extra year granted by the COVID year.“Now we're losing a bunch of guys. Opportunities to play are going to be there and I want to be ready.”The BlueSox are helping in that regard.Keene is becoming a staple in their lineup, batting fifth and playing third base.“My two through four hitters are locked in,” Helgert said. “I've been using different guys in the leadoff spot and toward the back of the order.“Jacob may be locking down that fifth spot. His bat is coming around.”Besides seeing little playing time this spring, Keene had to deal with a three-week layoff between the end of the college season and the beginning of the Tri-State Collegiate League campaign.“You get a little rusty,” he admitted.He prefers playing third base, though he's played some at first base as his arm strength was re-developing post-injury.“I'm confident I can make the throws now,” Keene said. “It just feels good being out here playing baseball again.“I'm not sure if I'll play that final year (of eligibility) or not. I know it's there for me if I want it. It will depend on how my elbow holds up.”When he's through playing baseball, Keene wouldn't mind coaching it.“It would be fun to get on that side of the game,” he said. “I love baseball.”But he's not done playing just yet.And the fact he is one of a number of Butler graduates on the BlueSox roster doesn't hurt that franchise, either.“Every Butler kid on our team has a circle of family and friends who come watch them play,” Helgert said. “That definitely helps our fan base.“And Jacob's bat is helping our team.”
