DIGITAL DIALOG
April 4, 2017
Suspect charged after allegedly breaking into the same house 2 days in a row
April 4, 2017
Thibodaux native and Vandebilt Catholic graduate Nora Keehn is a sophomore pitcher at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, though it’s sure hard to tell.
With the way she’s getting hitters out, the local looks far more like a polished senior than someone who’s just two years into her four-year collegiate career.
Keehn is off to a dominant start to her sophomore year with the Bulldogs, owning a 10-3 record with a 1.47 ERA while also having two saves.
This past week, Keehn was named the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) Player of the Week after recording a no-hitter in a win.
Keehn said the honor feels good, because it shows that the hard work she’s put in throughout the offseason is paying off.
She said her focus now is to keep it going, and to finish the season with a bang.
“It is an honor to win Pitcher of the Week, because if you just look at all of the pitchers in our conference, they are all really, really good,” Keehn said. “But more importantly than that, I couldn’t win the award without my team behind me. They play such a big role in everything I do on the field.”
For Keehn, the sophomore success isn’t a huge surprise.
She was a handful at Vandebilt, of course, which is why she landed at the college level – one of the more decorated pitchers in the recent history of the prestigious program that’s won several state championships.
Keehn said her days at Vande bilt are some she’ll never forget. She said that when battling adversity in the circle for the Bulldogs, she often thinks back to advice longtime Vandebilt coach (now athletic director) Margaret Johnson told her in her prep career.
“I miss high school a lot,” Keehn said. “I look back often to those years and the memories I made, and I just wish I could go back just once more to play for them and with my Vandebilt teammates. Coach Johnson and Coach Spearman taught me so much about the game and helped me grow so much as a pitcher and a person.”
Because of those lessons, Keehn said she was more read than a lot of incoming freshman are for the next level.
It showed.
Last year with the Bulldogs, Keehn won 14 games, posting an ERA under 1, quickly establishing herself as an ace-caliber pitcher.
Never one to be satisfied, Keehn said she worked tirelessly throughout the offseason to get better. She said she worked out at the Performance Training Center at Terrebonne General Medical Center, spending countless hours with trainer Zach Voss to improve every aspect of her game.
The time, Keehn said, was “incredibly well spent.” She added quickly that she plans to go back every summer she can.
“He is great,” Keehn said of Voss. “He wants the best for all of his athletes, and he wants them to compete and do well when they get back to school. I will be back there this summer for sure.”
With the hard summer work
under her belt, Keehn returned to Mississippi with two clear focuses: win a championship and secure a collegiate home for her junior and senior seasons.
One of those things has happened already, and the other is possibly on the way if the Bulldogs keep playing quality softball.
On the field, Mississippi Gulf Coast has thrived this season, owning a 25-8 record at press-time, including a 14-2 mark in conference play.
This past weekend, Mississippi Gulf Coast swept a two-game road slate with Meridian Community College, posting 11-3 and 7-4 victories.
Keehn said the entire Bulldogs team from top-to-bottom is focused, which has allowed for the success.
“We are doing really well this year,” she said. “The team is going together in great ways. We are working hard together. We have key moments when players do game-changing plays, and it helps out everyone and gets us all pumped up to keep going.”
Now onto focus No. 2 – a future home.
Because Keehn is at a junior college, she has just one more year of eligibility with the Bulldogs, who are a two-year athletic program.
But Keehn has fielded interest from several programs over the last couple months, because of her success in the circle throughout her collegiate career.
The former Vandebilt standout said she recently committed to West Alabama, touting her excitement to play her final two seasons for the new program.
The Tigers are currently 18-20 and are 9-12 in conference play.
But Keehn said having her collegiate decision made is allowing her to focus on the big goal, which is winning her final game at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College at Nationals.
The Bulldogs are one of the top teams in the Southeast, and many think they have a good shot at making a run once postseason play starts.
“I hope to go all the way,” Keehn said. “This team we have this year is special, and when we are all on the same page and work together, we can do unstoppable things. I would love to make it to Nationals this year. That is a big goal of mine, and our team is awfully hungry, as well.”
‘It is an honor to win Pitcher of the Week, because if you just look at all of the pitchers in our conference, they are all really, really good. But more importantly than that, I couldn’t win the area without my team behind me.’
NORA KEEHN
Gulf Coast Community College pitcher on winning the conference Player of the Week Award
Thibodaux native and Vandebilt graduate Nora Keehn prepares for a pitch during a game this season. Keehn, a sophomore, is dominating so far for the Bulldogs, owning 10 wins on the year.
Mississippi Gulf Coast standout pitcher Nora Keehn fires a pitch during a game this season. Keehn has been lights out so far this year, already owning a no-hitter and countless Player of the Week titles.
