Kendall Keller enjoying home-field advantage at Baseball Canada Cup

Okotoks Dawgs Baseball Academy grad Kendall Keller (Pilot Butte, Sask.) jogs in from the outfield during a game against B.C. at the Baseball Canada Cup in Regina on Friday. Photo: Troy Fleece

*This story was originally published on Canada.com on August 9, 2019. You can read the original article here.

By Greg Harder

Regina Leader-Post

Kendall Keller’s baseball career is all over the map, but there’s still no place like home.

The 17-year-old Pilot Butte product is representing Saskatchewan for the third straight year at the Baseball Canada Cup tournament, which wraps up Sunday at Optimist Park in Regina.

It’s a homecoming for Keller, who graduated this year from high school at the Okotoks Dawgs Baseball Academy in Alberta.

After a short off-season, the 17-year-old outfielder is preparing for a move to the U.S. this fall, enrolling at Wabash Valley College in Mount Carmel, Ill.

“I’m getting really excited for that,” Keller said of his first college season. “It was (tough to pick a school) but I think I made the right choice. (He likes) the program, the coaches and they have a lot of winning records.”

The move to Okotoks last fall helped open some doors for Keller, who welcomed the opportunity to play baseball year-round.

It also meant leaving the nest a year early.

“That was my first time away from home for the whole year,” noted Keller, who believes the experience will help prepare him for the next step. “I think I’ll be ready for college. You have to leave home sometime.”

For now, Keller is focused on helping Saskatchewan finish strong at the Baseball Canada Cup. The host team’s record fell to 1-4 on Friday afternoon with an 11-5 loss to B.C.

Team Sask concludes round-robin action Saturday against Ontario (noon, Currie Field).

“It’s a real special event, coming here for my third time,” said the speedy leadoff man, whose .357 batting average is tops on the team. “With it kinda being in my hometown, it has been real cool.”

Keller hopes to spend even more time at Currie Field next season as a member of the Western Canadian Baseball League’s Regina Red Sox.

Keller’s older brother Griffin is coming off a brilliant season with the club, finishing second in the league with a .386 batting average. He led the WCBL in doubles (21) and triples (7) while also leading the team with eight home runs and 49 RBI.

“Hopefully I’ll play with my brother next year,” Kendall said. “We’ve talked about it a little bit. It would be a cool thing.”

The Red Sox finished with the league’s best regular-season record (41-15) and opened the WCBL playoffs on Thursday with a 10-2 win over the Moose Jaw Miller Express.Game 2 of the best-of-three series was slated for Friday night in Moose Jaw.

Griffin Keller is not taking part in the series due to surgery to repair a lingering shoulder issue. He’s headed into his senior year at Rogers State University in Oklahoma and plans to rejoin the Red Sox next season — perhaps alongside his little brother.

“He has been someone I’ve looked up to my whole life,” Kendall said. “I’m very proud of him. It has been real cool seeing him accomplish his goals. He’s a good role model for me.”