From Portland to Princeton: Pitcher Alex Keudell
A large part of Oregon's newfound success was because of Alex Keudell, a Golden Spikes Award Semi-Finalist and current Princeton pitcher, who committed to the school at the origin of baseball's revival.
A native of Beaverton Oregon, 7 miles west of Portland, Keudell pitched four years at the University of Oregon and was there from Oregon's rocky initiation into a powerhouse Pac-12 baseball conference to their most recent attempt at a spot in the College World Series with a matchup in the Super Regionals.
"It was exciting playing four years starting at the bottom of the Pac-12 to the top of the Pac-12," said Keudell. "It was an awesome experience; I loved all four years of it."
For the past two seasons Keudell has been the rock of the Ducks' rotation, most recently acting as the Friday night starter. Week in and week out, he faced tough competition, guiding the Ducks to a monumental season.
"We kind of came out of nowhere. We really did not have high expectations for us at the beginning of the year," said Keudell. " But we tried to come out and prove those people wrong and we ended up one game short of Omaha. It was a good season."
After posting a 7-3 record with a 2.89 ERA last year, Keudell downed his ERA to just 2.38 in college play in 2012, notching a career high 11 wins. He had 4 complete games including one against the National Champion Arizona Wildcats in which he allowed only one over a Wildcat team that had one of the best offenses in the country.
Keudell was justly named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year for his tremendous season, putting him in the company of some of the nation's top collegiate hurlers.
His success has been eye-openly noted, and his delivery, not to mention an unorthodox pitching style, has also caught the attention of fans and scouts alike.
Keudell throws the ball using a huge side-step, with great reliance on shoulder strength and pitch movement, completed with a 3/4 release point. But it's a style of pitching that can only be fully understood by watching him throw.
"I've been doing it my entire life," said Keudell concerning his delivery. "A lot of people said I wouldn't be able to repeat it and have success and obviously I've proved them wrong this year being Pac-12 pitcher of the year."
In his final stretch as a senior at Oregon, Keudell's accolades and success can be considered feats rarely achieved in major college baseball. To cap it all off, during this year's Div. I College Baseball playoffs, Keudell received news any player has been dreaming of their entire life.
"I was about to get interviewed and my dad called me right before and told me I got drafted [by Tampa Bay]," said Keudell. "It was exciting. This is my dream to play professional baseball."
With a late start after a prolonged collegiate run and after pitching almost exclusively in the bullpen as a Princeton Ray, Keudell got his first start on the rubber against Johnson City on July 22.
But Keudell has been successful in his professional debut season to date, no matter when he is asked to pitch. On August 12, he notched his first "hold" and through games of August 12, he is displaying a 2.43 ERA in 12 appearances (four starts). In addition to his success as a starter, Keudell has converted three saves in four opportunities while striking out 33 hitters versus only seven walks (three intentional) in 29.2 innings of work. This further proves that this new Tampa Bay Ray farmhand is definitely someone to quack about.
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