Year off can't cool Keys down
Oaks Christian transfer feels right at home with SVHS baseball squad
By Stephen Dorman sdorman@theacorn.com

Brent Keys

As a freshman center fielder for the Oaks Christian varsity baseball team in the spring of 2006, Brent Keys terrorized TriValley League pitching with a .450 batting average, four home runs, 28 RBI, six triples and 26 stolen bases.

By December of that same year, Keys' poor academic standing at OCHS had cost him his athletic eligibility, and he ended up transferring to one of his hometown schools, Simi Valley High, halfway through his sophomore campaign.

Forced to sit out the 2007 baseball season, Keys, an admitted sports junkie, found himself playing catch alone in his backyard while the Pioneers marched toward the playoffs.

"I was devastated," Keys said. "I would be so bored when I couldn't watch Simi play that I would just go out into the backyard and chuck the ball as high as I could, over and over again.

"It was really great," he added sarcastically.

Before he could return to the field- Keys also plays football and was a national Punt, Pass and Kick champion at Oaks Christian- Keys had to improve in the classroom.

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers GOING WITH THE PITCH- Hitting to the opposite field is one of Simi Valley High right fielder Brent Keys' strengths at the plate.

At Simi Valley, Keys hit the books hard, raising his gradepoint average nearly two full points to 3.8 in his first semester.

"My dad told me to take school more seriously," Keys said. "I wanted to do better, too, so I could get some college recognition with sports. So I got serious, got help from a bunch of people, and now things are working out a lot better over here."

Now a junior, and despite a full year away from the game, Keys hasn't missed a beat in his return to the diamond.

A natural center fielder, Keys has moved to right field, where he's firmly entrenched as the team's starter. The 6foot2, 200pound left-handed hitter bats leadoff for Simi Valley, giving the squad power, speed and outstanding plate discipline at the top of the order.

"He can play, no doubt about it," Pioneer head coach Matt La Belle said. "He is very, very talented, and he's working very hard at advancing his game to the next level.

"Keys has been pretty successful thus far, and we anticipate that he'll continue being that way for us."

As an example of Keys' impact at the top of the Simi Valley lineup, check out his stat line from last Friday's 11-4 Pioneer victory at Moorpark.

In the first inning, Keys recorded a pair of hits, stole two bases and scored twice as SVHS built a 90 lead before the Musketeers had a chance to come to the plate.

Keys added an opposite-field double in the third inning and was hit by a pitch in the fifth. To prove he's not perfect, Keys struck out looking in the seventh inning.

"He gets on base and is always looking to take the extra bag," Simi Valley senior center fielder Brett Hale said of Keys. "He helps lead this team."

It was Hale's presence in center field- he's a three-year starter at the position- that forced Keys' move to right. Keys has made the adjustment well and did so without complaining, Hale said.

"He's a team player, and moving to right benefited the team a lot," Hale said. "The guy has a great arm and brings a lot of hustle and speed to the outfield."

Keys said it didn't take long to adjust to his new teammates, many of whom he played baseball with throughout his youth.

Although his older brother, Ryan, was a standout ballplayer at Royal High before moving on to Moorpark College and Cal Lutheran, Keys said Simi Valley was a better fit for him.

"This is the best place for me," Keys said. "There was never any question about it. It's my hometown, and my friends are here. It's just so awesome to be back on the field playing."