By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

LAPLACE — From the first day that St. Charles baseball coach Paul Waguespack saw Jared Keating pitch in a scrimmage against his varsity, he had an idea that a strong player might be emerging before his eyes.

Four years later, Keating’s 31 career wins as a Comet rank first all-time at the school. Now, the lefthander takes his game to the college level, as Keating recently signed with Baton Rouge Community College to continue his playing career.

“It’s what you always dream of as a kid, to play college baseball,” said Keating. “It feels great to experience this … I’m really looking forward to pitching at the college level and proving to everyone what I’ve got and what I’m capable of doing.”

Said Waguespack: “I’m excited for him. Once he gets to the college level, I think his game will take off. He’s not dividing his attention between multiple sports. I’m looking forward to seeing him continue to pitch.”

Keating will major in engineering at the school.

His senior year saw the Comet ace go 9-3 on the mound with a 1.71 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 72.1 innings. He was named to the All-State team by the Louisiana Baseball Coaches Association and Honorable Mention to the Louisiana Sports Writers Association All-State team. He’s been a mainstay as an All-District selection, named as a senior as District 9-2A’s Most Valuable Player, splitting the honor with teammate Brady Hitt.

In his final year at SCC, he was bestowed the school’s top athletic honor as he was named Mr. Comet, also split between he and Hitt.

Waguespack praised Keating’s savvy on the mound, noting what he lacks in pure pitching power, he makes up for with sharp location and his overall understanding of the game and situations within it.

“He’s been the model of consistency for us,” said Waguespack.

“Jared’s a pitcher. A lot of guys are throwers. They can get it up to 87, 88 … but Jared just knows how to pitch. And that’s big.”

Keating said that BRCC’s proximity to home appealed to him, as well as its status as an ascendant program.

“They won 20 games two years ago, then won 38 last year and came a game away from the World Series,” said Keating, who began classes at the school this week. “They’re building a good program. I like the coaches and I like the campus, and I’m enjoying myself here.”

During his run with the Comets, SCC twice finished as state runner-up and won its district three times.

Keating said that his ultimate goal is to reach the Division I level. To get there, he said he must maintain his grades and keep his game moving in a positive direction.

“He definitely deserves this,” said Waguespack.