​Eagles Decisive Victory Sends Team To Championship

by John Unrein
 
     Grain Valley Eagles catcher Cole Arndorfer did not hesitate when asked what starting pitcher Cole Keller’s best offering was during the semifinal round of the Class 5 MSHSAA State baseball tournament. The senior would expand that it was not even close on a day when Keller would strike out fourteen Rockwood Summit batters and only surrender two earned runs across six and two-thirds innings.
     “I liked Cole’s curveball. Every one on an 0-2 count was dirty. They were late breaking and sharp. It made for uncomfortable at-bats for the opponent. It was hard to hit,” Arndorfer said.
     Keller who had an ice bag firmly pressed against his right elbow following the game was elated with how well his team performed. The senior would accumulate 107 total pitches during his stellar outing. Keller was in control of everything on the mound for the Eagles, including two pickoffs that limited the progress on the basepaths for Rockwood Summit.
     “We wanted to stay within ourselves and anticipated that they (Rockwood Summit) would be a good hitting team. Cole (Arndorfer) and I talked before the game and decided to use the curveball more early on,” Keller said.
     “We were in sync all day though; I did not have to shake him off many times and if I did it was to play (with the mind) of the batter. I was given the right advice by my catcher on what to do when he visited the mound.”
     Keller finished, “I kept telling myself to win one pitch at a time. I don’t care about counts anymore. It was huge for us to score runs like we did early on. I think our biggest fear all year has been to get into the playoffs and have our bats not show up. This was huge to get to pitch with a lead.”
     Keller helped himself at the plate for the Eagles as well by getting on base during all four his at-bats. The final offensive stat line for the Grain Valley graduate included a single, triple, three runs batted in, hit by pitch, and a base on balls for the three sport All-State student athlete.
     Eagles second baseman Avery Garmon joined Keller’s endeavors at the plate in producing offensive fireworks. Garmon would hit the ball hard during all three of his trips to the plate, including an RBI double in the third inning, and a single in the fifth inning. The only out made by Garmon was a hard-hit line drive to center field during the first inning that was nabbed on a diving grab by Sean Barnett of Rockwood Summit.
     The first person to tell Garmon good work and encourage him after his out during the first inning was Grain Valley assistant coach Dominic Giangrosso. The vote of confidence paid off as Garmon drove the ball in his two subsequent at-bats. The Eagles coaching staff has pushed Garmon all season to stay consistent in his approach at the plate and that the consistency in doing so would pay off in the long run.
     “Coach Giangrosso has exhibited a lot of trust in me this season. Coach Driskell has told me to keep grinding every time I have lined out this year. To be built up (by my coaches) all season has finally paid off. I knew from the feel off the barrel that I connected well on their fastball offerings,” Garmon said.
     Eagles head baseball coach Brian Driskell summoned Kaden Jeffries in relief of Keller in the top of the sixth inning. Jeffries would surrender only one base hit prior to striking out the final batter of the game.
     “The situation was a little hard to mess up, honestly. Cole (Keller) set it up perfectly in giving me a big lead late in the game. My final thought after releasing my last pitch was, he ain’t touching it at the plate,” Jeffries said.
     Driskell offered perspective to his players prior to the game. The message was that the Eagles skipper had not thrown a pitch, hit a baseball, or made a play in the field all season. Instead, Driskell let his team know he was along for the ride due the special effort his team had put forth. The final direction was for the team to continue their quest.
     “Keller has been so good all year and he took it to another level today. He was big at the plate as well. Cole always faces the moment and never backs away,” Driskell said.
     “Jeffries has done a good job of pitching when we have the lead. He fills the strike zone up. We had confidence in him getting the job done at the end.”
     Driskell continued, “Avery (Garmon) has a special swing. We knew he would eventually come around. It was neat that he did it right here today. That is pretty cool. He was the difference between us winning 4-2 compared to 7-2. It is great to see him be a big factor at the bottom of the lineup.”
     The Grain Valley Eagles baseball team improves to a 27-8 record as they advance to the Class 5 MSHSAA State Championship game against Willard (26-10) on June 5th.

Left to right: Cole Keller, Cole Arndorfer, Kaden Jeffries, and Avery Garmon.
Photo credit: Valley News staff

Cole Keller delivers a pitch from the mound.
​Photo credit: Valley News staff

Assistant baseball coach Dominic Giangrosso hugs Cole Keller following their 7-2 win. Catcher Cole Arndorfer savors the moment.
Photo credit: Valley News staff