Biloxi lacks proven star power outside of Colt Keith. Here’s why it can still thrive.
After numerous interviews with pro scouts and members of the media, Biloxi High School baseball star Colt Keith has had enough of all the talk.
Headed into his senior campaign, he’d like ignore the buzz swirling around where he might land in this year’s MLB Draft.
“I’ve been talking about it for 10 years now, this season. I’m just ready for it to start,” Keith said.
Biloxi will scrimmage Picayune this weekend before beginning the 2020 season on Feb. 18 with a home game against Stone High.
There’s no question that Keith, who picked up multiple awards as Mississippi’s top player a year ago, will serve as the centerpiece of this year’s Biloxi squad as the three-hole hitter, shortstop and closer.
The Indians graduated eight players from the 2019 team that finished 29-5 and reached the Class 6A South State series, seven of which were starters. But coach Eddie Lofton and his players are confident they can again challenge for a spot in the state title round.
One reason the Indians appear ready to contend is the arrival of Brock Butler, a senior outfielder/catcher who hit .402 with seven homers and 31 RBIs last season at Northeast Lauderdale in Meridian. He is 6-4 and 235 pounds and has been clearing the fence with ease during practice.
A year after Keith transferred in from Buckeye, Arizona, ahead of the 2019 season, Butler appears to be the next newcomer ready to make an impact in his first season. However, the Butler family is no stranger to Biloxi Indians baseball. His dad, Chuck, was the Biloxi baseball coach from 1987-2002 and won a state championship in 1988.
“He wanted to come home and give his son the option to graduate where he coached for years,” Lofton said. “It’s good to have him. He’s a great player and he’s a worker too. He jumped right into the mix.”
It’ll be up to Butler and another junior third baseman Tristan Pearson to provide some support for Keith in the middle of the lineup.
“They’ve got big bats,” Lofton said. “We’re looking at putting one before him and the other right after him. We’ll play with that the first couple of weeks before we figure out what works.”
Headed into the new season, Keith feels like he’ll receive the backing he needs in the lineup.
“I’d say our top six to seven hitters this year are actually better than the team last year,” he said. “I think we have a lot of power in the lineup and I think we’re going to be able to do some damage.”
The Biloxi lineup
The starting nine will have alterations throughout the season, but Lofton has a general idea of which players he’ll go with headed into the first week.
First base — senior Alex Shemper
Second base — senior Parker Morrow
Shortstop — Keith
Third base — Pearson
Catcher — senior Garrett Clendenning
Left/right field — Butler
Left/right field — sophomore Patrick Galle
Center field — senior Gavin Dick
“We definitely have a lot more stronger guys in the lineup,” Dick said. “Brock and Tristan, those are our big guys in the lineup.”
Galle, a right-hander, is also expected to be a part of the starting rotation on the mound. He should be joined by junior lefty Jacob Allen, who has battled injuries this spring practice, and junior right-hander Hugo Carbajo, who should also get time in the outfield.
Colt Keith moves to shortstop
After playing third base last season, the 6-3, 200-pound Keith this year will line up at shortstop — a position where he has plenty of experience.
“I missed it last year,” the Arizona State commit said. “I’ve been working a ton on my hands and stuff. I feel like I’m fitting in well there.”
Lofton has no doubt that Keith, who hit .527 with eight homers and 49 RBIs a year ago, will make the easy transition.
“Last year, he could have played short and been the dude,” he said.” But in order for us to be the team we had to be, he accepted the role and played third. Down the road, they may put him in the outfield. He runs (the 60-yard dash in 6.5 seconds). You can stick him out there, or put him back at third. I feel that shortstop will showcase him a little more to where they can see what kind of range he’s got.”
Lofton believes Keith’s impact on this year’s team will go well beyond what he’s doing on the field.
“His energy level, his awareness of the game, his baseball savvy bring a lot to the table,” Lofton said. “It really rubs off on the other guys with his work ethic and what he does after the fact. After practice, he wants to go hit more. After practice, he wants to take more ground balls. He’s always looking for someone to long toss with. A lot of that has really rubbed off on younger guys and I think we’ll reap the benefits from it.”
MLB scouts have continued to show up to watch Keith practice. Four who were on hand for a random Sunday scrimmage. However, they haven’t been pestering him as much lately to allow him to prepare for the start of the new season.
It’s been up to Lofton to manage scouts and officials who have want to watch Keith get some work in.
“I get four or five text messages a day along with a couple of emails (from scouts),” Lofton said. “Basically, I have a big group of guys I’ve created a messaging system with. I’m sending them a weekly report on when we’re playing, what our (batting practice) times are and what we’re doing for each game. I sent out a big schedule today for the first two weeks to give them a game plan on what we’re doing.”
“It’s not calming down and I don’t see it calming down anytime soon.”
This story was originally published February 13, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
