By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Los Fresnos’ Keegan Danielson doesn’t say much. He chooses to let his actions speak volumes.
With the Falcons leading Progreso 8-0 in the fifth inning on Thursday, Danielson came to the plate with the bases loaded and only one out.
Danielson promptly ripped the first pitch he saw into right field and two runs scored, allowing Los Fresnos to win their shortened game. But Danielson simply walked off the field as if he’d gotten out instead of delivered the game-winning hit. It wasn’t that big of a deal to him because he was doing his job.
“He’s a good leader, a quiet leader. The kids follow him,” Los Fresnos coach Rene Morales said. “He does everything we ask him to do.”
Danielson, now a senior, has been a varsity player since he was a freshman. Now that it’s his time to lead, he wants to do it in a positive manner.
“I’m more of a quiet guy,” he said. “I feel I have to be the one, if I make an error or strikeout, I have to keep my head up. Keep a good, positive attitude, so (my teammates) see that and it spreads. They feel like, ‘Well, he made a mistake and he’s not pouting or putting his head down, then it’s not the end of the world.’”
Danielson is making the most of his last season.
“If I didn’t play as well, it was OK, I still had a few years left,” he said he told himself a few times over the past couple of years. “Well, the last couple years went by fast.
“It’s a lot of fun, I’m really enjoying it.”
Baseball is the only sport that Danielson plays, so it’s played year-round. That dedication and level of commitment hasn’t been lost on Morales.
“He’s put the work into it. He played a lot of fall ball, put a little bit of muscle on,” Morales said of his senior leader’s busy offseason. “He’s doing a great job for us, he knows the game and knows what to do.”
Danielson has earned the respect of his teammates by speaking only when it really matters.
“When he speaks, the kids listen,” Morales said, remarking that he, too, is caught off guard when Danielson speaks at times. “He leads by example, but when he has to jump on them he’ll jump on them and say a couple of words.”
Morales spoke volumes about Danielson, a senior who certainly will be hard to replace next season.
“He’s very quiet, a very humble kid,” Morales said. “He’s very smart, in the top five in his class. I never have to worry about him. He’s the perfect role model of a student-athlete.”
Danielson is slated to play outfield, first base at times and will sometimes be needed on the mound. The senior said it doesn’t matter to him as long as it helps the team and achieves his goal, hopefully earning a scholarship to college next year and playing baseball.
“Honestly, wherever I’m playing, I’m having fun,” he said. “Wherever coach puts me, I’m going to play and have fun with it.”
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.