Playing baseball in college isn’t a new dream for Keil Almroth.
Pitching in college, however, wasn’t the objective for the Woodmore junior until this year. Ninety-three strikeouts in 62 innings would make anyone think they were a pitcher.
“As a sophomore, I wanted to keep playing as a position player,” he said. “This year made me realize I want to pitch in college.”
Almroth walked 24 batters with a 7-4 record and 1.13 ERA. He was first team in the Sandusky Bay Conference River Division.
“I took a huge step,” he said. “Straight to first team (after no all-conference recognition) as a pitcher is pretty big. I like being in control of a game. When you pitch good, everybody else plays good. I focus on hitting my spots. That led to most of my strikeouts.”
He added about 10 miles per hour to his fastball, to 85 as a junior. He trained with a pitching coach three days a week and lifted weights.
He was less predictable this season, mixing his change-up more frequently with a fastball and curve. He accomplished most everything he could have hoped to accomplish with preparation and ultimately improving results.
“I was anxious for it,” he said of the season. “I wanted to prove to people you can overcome an injury. I was excited. I worked in the offseason, and it paid off. I surprised myself. My name got out there. Colleges came to watch. It felt good.”
He tore his left labrum as a sophomore and didn’t bat. He struck out 24 and walked 15 in 20⅔ innings.
“There was a lot to overcome, not playing as much,” he said. “I focused on when I could play. It took a lot on my shoulder. I learned a lot; how to stay focused and not let anything take you down. I wanted to prove to everyone I could do it.
“I focused on not getting mad, staying calm and cheering on my teammates. People need to focus on their work in the offseason and setting goals and achieving them. Even if you don’t achieve them.”
He knew it was a harbinger when he struck out a career-high 13 in a victory over Elmwood in his first start of the season. He was confident and even the losses were building blocks as a junior.
He struck out 27 and walked 19 in 32⅓ innings as a freshman.
He also feels good about his development as a hitter after scoring 15 runs, driving in 14 and batting .267 as a junior. He struck out eight times in 86 at-bats after a year off from hitting. He batted .284 as a freshman.
Woodmore won 14 games, including 10 in the SBC River Division last season. It won 15 games the year before.
“I want to focus on being a leader,” Almroth said. “We want to get 20 wins and advance in the postseason. Eighteen wins is the school record.”
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This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Keil Almroth takes jump on mound for Woodmore baseball
Reporting by Matthew Horn, Fremont News-Messenger / Fremont News-Messenger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Matthew Horn, Fremont News-Messenger | USA TODAY Network
