By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Los Fresnos first baseman Keegan Danielson has achieved a dream.
The senior will continue his baseball career next year at Luther College, a NCAA Division III affiliated school in Decorah, Iowa. Danielson made it official during a signing ceremony Wednesday at Los Fresnos.
“Kind of unbelievable,” he said. “I remember last year coming to a couple of these signings that we had here, and I thought ‘I really want to do this.’ It’s here all of the sudden. Wow, that was fast, but it’s an awesome feeling.”
Danielson said attending those signings for former teammates helped motivate him in his final baseball season.
“It’s motivation because not every body gets to play college baseball,” he said. “I just stuck with it, did what my coaches said and played the season out. I kept going. I knew the only way I could get to where I wanted to be (was) I had to keep going strong and keep doing what (I was) doing.”
Danielson was the Falcons’ top hitter with a .318 average and had a .984 field percentage at first base. This season was the first time he played the position full-time after earning all-district honors in the outfield last season. He spent some time in the outfield and on the mound as well for Los Fresnos during the year.
“Keegan took (the position change) in stride,” Los Fresnos coach Rene Morales said. “He said, ‘Coach whatever you want me to play.’ He put in the hard work, played it all last summer and picked it up really quick.
“I told him, ‘The more places you can play, the more opportunities you’re going to have out there.’”
Danielson wasn’t someone that Morales had to worry about on the field or in the classroom.
“I didn’t have to worry about his grades. I didn’t have to worry about anything,” Morales said of Danielson, who is ranked 11th in his senior class. “I knew he was going to give us everything he had in practice every day.”
Morales said that, when he spoke to coaches from the schools that Danielson was looking at, grades were the subject of the first question each of them asked.
Danielson earned Luther College’s top academic scholarship and plans to study civil engineering.
Luther College was a place he felt comfortable. He liked the campus and coaching staff, and its location is near many family members so the decision was easy.
As Danielson gets ready to join the Norse, Morales was proud to have another senior extend his baseball career.
“Keegan was a big part of our team this year,” Morales said. “He was a captain and the kids respected him a lot. I want to thank him, and I think he’ll be a great fit at Luther College. I think he’ll do a good job, and I wish him the best of luck.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.