Former University of San Francisco infielder Luke Keyshall is an Aptos High alumnus who has been shining since transferring to Arizona State University. (USF Athletics File)
In some ways, Luke Keyshall remains a college baseball player at Arizona State just as he was during his two years at the University of San Francisco.
The Aptos High School graduate leads the Sun Devils in both stolen bases (16) and runs scored (48). Just like he did a year ago at USF where he led the West Coast in both categories. He also has a high .375 batting average, which ranks his sixth in the Pac-12.
However, there are some fundamentally different things about how Keyshall does these things at Arizona State, one of which is that he’ll be hitting them from the cleanup spot instead of the leadoff spot that USF usually hits. For another reason, he’s hit more home runs and collected more RBIs than he did with the Dons, ranking among the Pac-12’s top five in both categories.
Keyshal’s efforts helped Arizona State University 2007-2010: ASU (23-15, 14-6) lost 2 of 3 games last weekend to world No. The Sun Devils and the 8th Cardinal at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
Arizona State coach Willie Bloomquist said, “He’s played a huge role in our success, not just on the field but in terms of leadership off of it.” A type leader and made our team better.”
Keyshall moved to ASU last fall after two brilliant seasons in San Francisco. Junior knew as good as he left USF after the university fired longtime Dons coach Nino Giaratano in response to allegations of sexual misconduct.
Giaratano was instrumental in transforming Keyshal from a marginally recruited high school standout to a two-time All-WCC First Team selection and a potential high-round pick in this summer’s Major League Baseball Draft. His firing left Keishal devastated.
“Then I had to move,” Keeshal said. “He and I were pretty close.
“If he had stayed, I probably would have stayed too.”
Giaratano held Keeshal in high regard as Keeshal held him in high regard. In fact, the former coach had Keeshal exchange good words with another former player, Bloomquist.
“He (Giaratano) told me, ‘He’s the closest player I’ve ever had in terms of make-up, mindset, the way he goes about his work, the way he plays every day.’ “I took him (Kishar) on a recruitment trip and within 10 minutes I knew exactly what he was saying. We had already finished each other’s sentences.”
Now a daily second baseman for the Sun Devils – he played multiple infielders in San Francisco but was primarily a shortstop when he moved – Keyshall hits at a much higher percentage of home runs at Arizona State than at USF. Hitting: As of Sunday, he was tied for second in the Pac-12 with 14 round-trippers.
Keeshal’s home run total this season is two more than in his two seasons at USF combined. That includes his three-time round tripper in Oregon last weekend. He gave the ASU the lead after hitting his two runs on Saturday in his 16-10 loss against the Ducks, followed by two of his shots, and trailing by five. Won 9-6.
“The ball will probably fly a little better in Tempe than in San Francisco,” Bloomquist said.
There’s some truth to that: When Keeshal hit eight homers last year, then-USF interim coach Matt Kaeplinger told Sentinel he had to hit a wide Benedetti diamond with a center field fence. He probably would have hit four or five more, he said. 420 feet from home plate. Center field at Phoenix Municipal Stadium His fence is only 3m away, but the heat of the desert is better for long balls than the cold, damp air of San Francisco.
Still, Keeshal believes he’s added some strength as he grows from a 6-foot, 170-pound kid in high school to the slightly taller kid he is today at 190 pounds.
“I’ve always had power there,” he said. “As I get older, my body gets bigger and I can use that to hit more home runs. That comes with age.
“I’ve always hit a lot of doubles,” added Keyshall, who led the WCC in that category with 18 in 2022.
Keyshall actually started the season as the leadoff hitter for Arizona State. But after he got off to a rough start, Bloomquist dropped him to his 4th place in his Sun Devils.
“Earlier this year he was pressing in the leadoff spot,” the ASU coach said. “He had a good turn at bat, but he was frustrated that he wasn’t on base.
“I thought he could do better if I beat him. He still has good at-bats, but since I put him on the 4th hole, he’s run out.”
In fact, he went from being the WCC’s top run scorer last season to being one of the Pac-12’s top RBIs this season. As of Sunday, Keeshal had scored his 48 runs to tie for his third place in the Pac-12.
Keyshal’s time at Arizona State will likely be short. Bloomquist predicts the infielder will be selected in any of his first three rounds of this summer’s MLB Draft.
“It’s a shame to think that I can probably only work with him for one season,” lamented the coach.
But for now, Keyshall’s focus is leading Arizona State to the Pac-12 title, and possibly the College World Series.
“I’m here to win,” he said. “The draft is exciting, but right now my focus in life is playing baseball for the Sun Devils.”
Hipwell excels at SCU
Robert Hipwell went from a modest .150 hitter in his freshman year at Santa Clara University to one of the West Coast Conference leaders in homers and RBIs in his sophomore year.
The Scotts Valley High school graduate, who primarily batted third for the Broncos, hit 12 homers by Sunday to tie for sixth in the WCC. The third baseman also hit a .328 batting average, ranking eighth in the conference with 35 RBIs.
All three of these numbers reflect a significant leap from last season’s Hipwell.
But even in limited action, Hipwell gave glimpses of the players he blossomed into.
Hipwell’s efforts saw SCU go 23-15 overall and 10-8 in conference play.
county connection
County Connections are held every other Thursday during the school year. For updates on local college athletes, email Ray Hacke (raydhackelaw@gmail.com).
