Keegan Holmstrom finding success for Grove City baseball with hard work and support of family and coaches

Keegan Holmstrom is the first to acknowledge that he's been blessed with an abundance of talent, an extraordinarily-supportive family and top-notch coaching throughout his baseball career.

The Grove City junior has a keen understanding and appreciation of how fortunate he is, which has driven him to work tirelessly to take full advantage of those gifts and maximize his athletic potential.

And as it's turned out, that work ethic has paid major dividends, as the Ohio State University recruit has emerged as not only a coveted college pitching prospect, but also one of the best all-around high school players in the state.

“I’ve been so fortunate to receive so much support from so many quality people, who have always had my best interests in mind, that it’s crazy to think about,” Holmstrom said. “I’ve been blessed with some talent, too, but baseball’s a work sport. Talent may be what gets you in the door, but in the long run, it’s all about who puts in more work.

“I’m motivated to keep working hard to get the best out of myself, because I don’t want to let all of these people down who have helped me along the way.”

Holmstrom certainly has lived up to, if not exceeded, expectations on the mound, while racking up a 17-2 career record for the Greyhounds over the past three seasons.

The 5-foot-10, 175-pound left-hander keeps opponents guessing by throwing a tricky changeup, gnarly slider and 85-mile-per-hour fastball out of the same arm slot.

After losing the first varsity start of his career, Holmstrom bounced back to win 17 consecutive decisions on the mound, en route to earning a 6-1 mark as a freshman, going 9-0 as a sophomore and winning his first two starts this season.

During his sophomore season, Holmstrom had a 1.5 ERA, with 57 strikeouts and 27 walks in 65.1 innings, to be named the Ohio Capital Conference-Ohio Division co-Player of the Year, first-team all-district and second-team all-state.

Thus far this season, Holmstrom is 2-1 with a 0.88 ERA, 24 strikeouts and only three walks in 19 innings.

“Keegan’s fearless,” said Grove City coach Ryan Alexander, whose squad is 8-3 overall and 4-1 in the OCC-Ohio. “He wants the ball and the bat in his hands in big games, because his continual training of his mental game has prepared him for those moments to the point where nothing will surprise or razz him.

“He has a great ability to throw three pitches for a strike with a bunch of confidence to keep hitters off-balance. Keegan also helps himself on the bump by fielding his position well, and he’s great at holding runners. He works on all of the little things, too, because he truly wants to be great, not only at this level, but in college, so that he can pitch in the pros.”

Holmstrom credits working with Grove City graduates Mike Mayers (2010) and Chase Antle (2015) for his quick growth on the mound.

Mayers was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the 2013 Major League draft and currently pitches for the Kansas City Royals. His father, Mark Mayers, is Grove City’s pitching coach.

Antle played three seasons of baseball at Bowling Green and one at Coastal Carolina, and signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies on June 16, 2020. He is currently pitching for the Jersey Shore BlueClaws.

“Mike Mayers has been a big influence on me,” Holmstrom said. “We met and worked out together when I was in seventh grade, and he’s taught me so many valuable lessons. I’ve been fortunate enough to get work with Chase Antle, too. We all bounce ideas off each other, and it’s helped make me a much better pitcher.”

Holmstrom also is a valuable offensive and defensive player at first base, as he’s hitting .407, with three triples, two doubles and seven stolen bases this season.

Last spring, he batted .377 with 23 runs, seven RBI and six doubles.

“His future is probably pitching, but Ohio State recruited Keegan as a two-way player,” Alexander said. “(Former Ohio State and current Marshall baseball coach) Greg Beals told me Keegan’s probably the best first baseman he’s ever recruited defensively. He’s the best first baseman I’ve ever coached, and he’s an outstanding hitter, too.”

Holmstrom said a lot of people have aided his development into a strong all-around player, especially his parents, Kevin and Dona, who have been his biggest supporters since he first picked up a bat at the age of 2.

Kevin built his son a batting cage in the backyard of their home in Grove City. And Dona encouraged Keegan to participate in basketball and wrestling in past winters, which has helped him develop additional athleticism and avoid burning out on baseball at a young age. Keegan has been a key member of Grove City’s boys basketball squad the past three seasons.

“My parents have always been there for me, every step of the way, since I was a little kid,” Keegan said. “My dad was more of a soccer guy, so we learned baseball together, because I loved it right away. One of my earliest memories was my grandpa (Patrick Holmstrom) running a T-ball machine for me, and it caught on fire because I was using it so much.”

Keegan appreciates the support of his younger sisters Kaleigh and Kenzie as well. Kaleigh is a sophomore at Grove City and Kenzie is an eighth grader with Down syndrome.

“Kaleigh is always at my games, cheering for us,” Keegan said. “Kenzie is a super-fun person who does everything she can do to the best of her ability. She motivates me to do my best because any of us could be in her situation and she reminds me that I’m very fortunate to be in the position that I’m in.”

Holmstrom said Alexander has played an instrumental role in his success ever since he met his future coach at the age of 10.

Alexander has converted the barn on his family’s home property in nearby Orient into a baseball training facility, which features three batting cages and a couple of pitching machines. The Greyhounds’ players are welcome to train in Alexander’s barn year-round, and Holmstrom has been a regular attendee there throughout his high school career.

“Coach A has been a huge influence on me going all the way back to when I was 10, chasing foul balls for seven innings at his games,” Holmstrom said. “He taught me to always keep pushing because you never know who is watching, and that good can come out of any situation. He sets a great example for us and has opened his home to us, so we can get more work in year-round.”

Holmstrom also credits coaches Jordan Chiero, Matt Larrison, Aaron Mortrud and Tony Powers for helping him become a better hitter and defensive player, and praised Apex Performance Lab strength and conditioning coach Josh Cyr for helping him gain 25 pounds of muscle over the past two years.

Chiero is the Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports Hitting Coordinator and the Scouting Director for Prep Baseball Report Ohio.

“Aaron, Tony and Matt have always had my back as coaches, and have each helped make me a better baseball player,” Holmstrom said. “Josh has helped me get a lot stronger, after I started off at Grove City as a 150-pound freshman.

“Another guy that helped with my hitting instruction and the recruiting process in general is Jordan Chiero. He always has my best interests in mind and has taught me a ton.”

Holmstrom exploded upon the high school baseball scene as a freshman, going 6-1 on the mound with a 2.05 ERA, 55 strikeouts and 20 walks in 58 innings. He also batted .422 with 19 RBI and 19 runs, and was first-team all-district, second-team all-OCC-Ohio and honorable mention all-state.

The following spring, Holmstrom was even better, despite missing two weeks of action with a knee injury.

“I blew out the bursa sac in my knee sliding into third base and it was very painful,” Holmstrom said. “I was limping around, and (former Ohio State and NFL wide receiver) Joey Galloway was at one of our games, and told me that the quickest way to heal up was to walk normal. It hurt to walk normal, but I tried it and he was right.”

After returning to action, Holmstrom played a key role in the Greyhounds’ first run to a Division I state final, as he was the winning pitcher in both Grove City’s 2-0 regional final victory over defending state champion New Albany and its 4-1 state semifinal win over Mason.

Holmstrom pitched a three-hitter with seven strikeouts against New Albany and a four-hitter with six strikeouts against Mason.

The Greyhounds then lost to Sylvania Northview 6-1 in the state final to finish 26-8 overall.

“Pitching in a state semifinal felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it was amazing to see rows of people in the stands, all wearing red and blue to support us,” Holmstrom said. “I won a lot of games (17) in a row, but I always credit a lot of those to our offense, because we scored a lot of runs in some of those games.”

Holmstrom began getting recruited as far back as the summer before his freshman year at Grove City, and by the time his sophomore season began, he had about a dozen Division I college baseball scholarship offers.

After visiting several campuses and spending countless hours talking to multiple college coaches on the phone, Holmstrom made a verbal commitment to Ohio State on April 15, 2022, in the midst of his sophomore season.

“It was awesome because I really wanted to be in that position and I worked so hard to get there,” Holmstrom said. “But it was also nerve-wracking and extremely stressful, because I would be on the phone for too long instead of with my friends getting my work in in coach A’s barn.

“Ohio State and (University of Central Florida) were my final two choices. It’s beautiful at UCF, but it’s also really far away while OSU is right in my backyard. Both my parents went to OSU and it’s nice that I can still go home to see them when I need my laundry done.”

Alexander emphasized that the Buckeyes are getting not just a great baseball player, but also an outstanding young man.

Holmstrom, who had a cumulative 4.27 grade point average, also has volunteered some of his free time working with younger children in the Buddy Ball and Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio (DSACO) programs.

Buddy Ball is a year-round, non-profit special needs athletic league for children and adults with physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“Keegan comes from a great family who supports him but also encourages him to work hard at everything he does,” Alexander said. “There are a million young kids in our town who he works with and Keegan is always willing to help people out. He does things the right way and the community loves him.”

Holmstrom, who also works part time giving private baseball lessons to younger children in the offseason, said volunteering with Buddy Ball and DSACO is a rewarding experience.

“Kenzie does play Buddy Ball and I do help out occasionally when I can,” Holmstrom said. “We do a lot of stuff as a family with the Down Syndrome community… so I do spend a ton of time with them and it’s equally as fun for me, as it is for all of them, just to get to spend time with them and see how much fun they have. Being with them really makes me understand the value of life and how those kids make the best of every situation.”

Holmstrom has set lofty goals for the distant future.

“When I’m at Ohio State, I want to go to Omaha (Nebraska) to play in the College World Series, and obviously, I want to get drafted to play pro ball,” Holmstrom said. “Mike Mayers has played in The Show (Major League Baseball) and I want to become the second guy from Grove City to make it there.”

In the meantime, Holmstrom will attempt to break Ed Trent’s team record of 30 pitching wins, and he will try to lead the Greyhounds to their first state title in baseball. Trent went 30-6 while pitching for the Greyhounds from 1955-58.

Anticipating that he may be destined to become Grove City’s all-time leader in pitching wins, his teammates sometimes jokingly refer to him as KeeGoat.

“On the mound, I want to hit 90 (MPH) on my fastball and get the school record for wins before I graduate,” Holmstrom said. “As a team, we want to get back to Akron for the state tournament, so that we can get a ring for coach A, because he deserves it for all that he’s done for us.

“Baseball’s a game where failure often overrides the amount of success you experience, and that’s similar to a lot of the struggles we face in life, and one of the reasons I love it. No matter how many times I experience failure in some way, I’ve learned to always keep pushing to do my best, because eventually that hard work leads to something good.”