Turning Two with Heidelberg’s Keen & Lash

Gar Keen

Jason Lash

When we hear the phrase “turning two” we inevitably picture a flawlessly executed twin killing in our mind. Well, if we’re going to talk about turning two who better to talk to than arguably the best middle infield combo in all of DIII baseball:  Heidelberg’s Gar Keen and Jason Lash.

The juniors have been instrumental in the Berg’s rise to perennial national power.  The fact that Keen (second base) and Lash (shortstop) are also middle of the order bats is a testament to their skills and Matt Palm’s ability to recruit great players.

The all-everything duo was kind enough to answer some questions.  Check out what they had to say.

Gar Keen (GK):  Junior, All-American second baseman

Jason Lash (JL):  Junior, All-Region shortstop

BSB:  The 2010 Mideast Regional will be held at Marietta.  Would it be even sweeter to win your first regional title on a rival’s field?  Or would advancing to the World Series be enough?

GK:  I think winning our first regional title would be very sweet, but doing it at Marietta would make it that much sweeter.  They are a great team and one of our biggest rivals.

BSB:  What pitcher in the OAC has been toughest on you?  And no, you can’t say Andy Lowe during fall ball.

JL:  You took the words right out of my mouth, but honestly I would have to say that T.J. Knowlton from Marietta was the toughest pitcher we have had to face in conference the last few years.  He beat us twice (once freshman year and once last year) so I think we’d agree he was pretty tough and we’re glad he graduated.

BSB:  With you guys being from central Ohio and northeast Ohio respectively, how did you end up in Tiffin?  What other schools did you consider and what made you ultimately select Heidelberg?

GK:  Coach Palm was the main reason why I ended up at Heidelberg.  When I came on my visit, the Berg felt comfortable to me and I knew I would be able to fit into his kind of program.  Coach Palm always made me feel like he wanted me to be a part of the program.  My decision came down to Otterbein, ONU, and Heidelberg.  I wanted to go to a place and win and Heidelberg felt right for me.

JL:  I ended up at Heidelberg because of Coach Palm.  I knew every Sunday night that I was going to get a call from coach and he made me feel like he really wanted me to be a part of the program.  I came on my first visit and had a great talk with the coaching staff and had great hospitality, then I came on my overnight and knew that Heidelberg was the place I wanted to be.  It mainly came down to Washington and Jefferson, ONU, and Heidelberg.  I knew that I wanted to go to a place and win and felt like Heidelberg was the best fit for me.

BSB:  If a prospective student was coming for a campus visit who on the team is the best guy to take them around?  

GK:  Steve Decker and Everett Thomas are the best guys to take recruits around.  They are both very good with communication and making recruits feel more at ease.  They are very good at this because they are both motivated to do it; they have been here the longest and have the best understanding of the school and our baseball program.  Another reason that we joke about is that Steve and Everett both live off campus and do not have a meal plan so when they take recruits around they get to eat lunch for free.

BSB:  Baseball players are notorious practical jokers.  Are there any “class clowns” on the roster?

JL:  Yea our whole team always jokes around with each other, but I’d say Alex Monroe and Andy Lowe have the most fun.  Al is notorious for dumping snow on guys when they’re taking showers in the winter and Andy’s played a few good jokes himself.

BSB:  Tell us something about Coach Palm that we might not know just from watching him during games.

GK:  Coach palm is great family man and anybody who has ever been around him would agree. He has 4 children and a great wife and when he is not at baseball he is spending as much time with them as he can.

BSB:  You guys lost some important pieces when David Paddock, Jeremy Wentworth, Matt Grassley and Biagio Boytim graduated.  Who are the young guys you’re looking to for big years to help fill those shoes?

JL:  We’ve got some older guys that have been stuck behind these players that are eager for their chance to play and succeed.  Juniors Derek Andrzejczak and Travis McClarney could have some big years at first for us.  The mix of Alex Monroe, Elvin Williams, Drew Buelow, and Ricky Lizcano in the outfield will fill those voids.  Brian Koehl has had a couple solid years on the mound for us and will fill the shoes of Paddock as our ace.

BSB:  Every year you undoubtedly set team goals.  Where is the bar set for the team this year?  What are your personal goals? 

GK:  Our number one goal is a national championship.  With the amount of hard work we put in I think our guys would be disappointed with anything less.  Winning the oac season, and tournament are very big goals for us as well.  For me personally, I want to be able to look myself in the mirror at the end of the year and say that I got better and that I gave all I had every day.  I think if I am able to do that at the end of the year everything else will fall into place.

BSB:  I counted just under 40 people of the 2010 roster.  There are other OAC schools that have 60+ kids on their roster.  How is a smaller roster a positive for you?

JL:  A smaller roster is definitely a positive when it comes to getting reps.  We go 2 deep at every infield position so we get a lot more ground balls and work during team defense that we need to get in order to succeed.  Also, when we go over and hit, we get more live at bats against our pitchers which go a long way in preparing us for our season.

BSB:  Gar, you’re a sports management and business major.  What do you want to do after you graduate?

GK:  I would like to be a graduate assistant for a baseball team while I got my masters.  I like business and would one day pursue a career in the business field, but I have a passion for baseball and I think that I could be a good coach someday.  I’m trying to keeps some off my options available but one of these two routes is I see my future.

BSB:  Jason, being a chemistry major and biology minor do you have time to do anything besides study and play baseball?  Is grad school in your future?

JL:  I do study quite a bit and Gar calls me a nerd a lot, but I actually find myself with a good amount of free time on top of my busy schedule.  My roommates (Gar, Willie, Blake, Cody) and I like to play NHL 2010 for X box 360 and I regularly attend Campus Fellowship and FCA.   I am currently studying to take the MCAT’s in early June and hope to attend med school after graduating from Heidelberg.  My goal is to someday be an ophthalmologist.

BSB:  Runner on second, two out and the game is tied in the 7th.  Who do you want stepping to the plate?

GK:  That is the situation I lay in bed dreaming about over and over again.  I would love to be in that situation every game if it was possible, but if I wasn’t I would defiantly want Jason up there.  He is a great player and works hard every day and also dreams of these kind of pressure situations.

JL:  I would love to be up in that situation.  I have confidence in my ability and I feel that if I work as hard as I can during practice, I am well prepared for the situation.  If I’m not up, then I want Gar at the plate because he’s a great hitter and is always putting in the extra time trying to get better.

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