Sports

SBHS Star Keenan Named One of NJ's Best

South Brunswick High School baseball ace Sean Keenan completes historically dominant season with MSG Network's All-New Jersey honors.

From the outset of the spring baseball season and over the last four years, Sean Keenan has helped set the tone for the South Brunswick High School baseball team.

As one of the leaders and hardest workers on and off the field for the Vikings, Keenan has now taken his place among the very best players in the entire state. The senior pitcher last week was named to the prestigious MSG Network 2013 All-New Jersey baseball team after one of the most dominant seasons in SBHS history, with an 8-1 record, 0.76 ERA, four shutouts and 84 strikeouts in 55 innings.

"Keenan could be downright overpowering as he proved over his final seven outings when he registered no less than eight strikeouts per game," wrote Gregg Lerner of MSG Varsity.

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Keenan's greatness this year came as no surprise to the coaches who've watched him grow over the last four years into a team leader and one of New Jersey's top hurlers.

"Sean had one of the best pitching seasons we've seen in a long time," said Assistant Coach C.J. Hendricks. "Watching him pitch day in and day out in practice and in games, he just did a tremendous job dominating the competition. He went out there, trusted his fastball, had great command of his offspeed stuff, and that's what set the difference to help him get more attention statewide. It can be difficult when you're competing against top five ranked undefeated teams, but the fact that he had the season he did was pretty outstanding."

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Even more remarkable is that this year was Keenan's first as a full time starting pitcher for SBHS, having been converted to starter from reliever. But Hendricks said the growth Keenan has shown on the mound since coming in as a shortstop and closer his freshman year is a testament to his work ethic.

Hendricks also credited assistant coach Dan Olsson for his work with Keenan to develop strong second and third pitches. But he wasn't just a force on the mound, as Keenan also shined at the plate with a .333 batting average, one home run and 14 RBI on the year.

"He really took command the last couple of years throwing the ball with good velocity," Hendricks said. "He's just the type of pitcher who wants the ball. (Olsson) has really helped him with the mental aspect of the game over the last four years and what it means to go from reliever to starter. Last year I used him as a starter on the 17U summer team and that's when you could really see his maturity, poise and mental toughness. No matter what's going on, he has the same attitude and that's a true testament to his work ethic."

While the 15-9 Vikings fell short of their goal of a GMC title this year, SBHS received strong contributions from a number of players. Ken Drost (.326 AVG, 1 HR, 6 RBI), Chris Huber (364, 14 SB), and Jake Izzo (.395 AVG, 9 RBI) were among the top hitters for SBHS.

But it was the leadership of Keenan and T.J. Perkowski (.436 AVG, 10 SB, 20 runs) that helped to buoy the squad all year. It comes as no surprise that the two senior stars will be moving on to the next level in the fall, as Keenan heads to Marist and Perkowski goes to Rutgers on baseball scholarships.

"When I took a visit to campus, I really liked the coaches and it seemed like a good fit academically," Keenan said earlier this year. "They told me I have a good chance to come in and get significant playing time my freshman year. It just seemed like a perfect fit."

The toughest part for the staff at SBHS in watching the year come to a close is knowing they need to fill the gaping holes left by two of the top players SBHS has ever seen take the field.

"These really are kids you can't replace," Hendricks said. "As much as I'd love to say we're waiting for the next Sean Keenan to come along, you just can't replace guys like this. They set the standard for what we're looking for as a payer and what we preach as a program. These are special types of kids and special types of players. Any college program would be very fortunate to have them. I hope our young guys see what it takes to get to that level and feed off that. With Sean going to Marist, T.J. going to Rutgers, and Mike Muha going to St. Joe's last year, little by little we're getting more attention from colleges and that's a credit to the state of baseball and the type of players we're breeding in South Brunswick."


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