Catching Up With Keegan Yuhl
Brian Gaul
Concordia senior starting pitcher Keegan Yuhl (SR/Del Mar, CA) was selected in the 35th round by the Houston Astros in the 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft, which wrapped up Saturday, May 7.
Yuhl was the 1036th overall pick and signed his minor-league contract with the Astros. He reported to the Greeneville Astros in Greeneville, Tennessee. They are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Astros and compete in the Appalachian League. They opened their season on Thursday, June 19 and the season ran through August.
With the Astros Yuhl appeared in nine games, threw 21.2 innings, allowed only 21 hits, three earned runs, struck out 17, and had a 1.25 ERA.
On August 1st, Yuhl was bumped up to Low A Full Season and the Quad Cities River Bandits in Davenport, IA. They compete in the Midwest League. Yuhl finished the season there on September 1. While there, he threw 14.2 innings, allowed 10 hits, five earned runs, struck out 16, and made two saves with a 3.07 ERA.
He is continuing to work in the offseason and looking forward to impressing scouts and progressing through the ranks.
"I stayed with my approach all year and challenged hitters," Yuhl said. "I worked both sides of the plate with all my pitches, and that allowed me to get outs. I'm continuing to work on my off-speed pitches, which have improved dramatically in pro ball. It is also important to get in great shape as the professional offseason is 2.5 times as long as college. The coaching staff at Concordia thoroughly prepared me for professional baseball. I am truly thankful to all my coaches and teammates who have helped me get to where I am today."
Last season Yuhl was selected as an Honorable Mention NAIA All-American, the first from the Eagles since 2011, the year they won the NAIA National Championship, in addition to being named All-GSAC. He is the 14th all-time in program history and second under current head coach Mike Grahovac. He finished fourth on the single-season program lists with 15 starts. Yuhl was fifth in innings pitched (104.2), second in strikeouts (100), second in wins (10), 10th in win percentage (.714). Yuhl was fifth in ERA (2.58) and the highlight of the year on the mound came on Friday, January 31, against Antelope Valley, as Yuhl threw the first no-hitter in school history, doing so at Eagles Field. After just one season and hitting the 100 innings minimum, Yuhl set the career mark in ERA at 2.58.
