Inducted 2007. Two-Time Herald-Whig Player of the Year in Baseball.
Keck dominated his sport for two years in a fashion that few athletes at Quincy Notre Dame have ever done or are ever likely to do again.
Keck, a 1992 graduate, was a two-time winner of The Quincy Herald-Whig’s Player of the Year award. He was a pretty good hitter, batting .302 as a junior and .390 with seven home runs as a senior. However, he made his mark as a pitcher. As a junior, he posted a 6-1 record and allowed just three earned runs while striking out 100 batters in 49 innings. His 0.43 earned run average ranks among the top 25 all-time single-season ERAs in state history. As a senior, Keck was saved to pitch against the Class AA teams on the schedule, and he was no less successful. He fashioned a 9-2 record with three saves, striking out 151 batters in 74 innings and compiling a 1.19 earned run average. Keck’s career ERA of 1.19 ranks among the top 15 in state history.
Keck went on to pitch for four years at Illinois State University. His most successful season was in 1994 when, as a sophomore, he pitched a school record 104 2/3 innings, going 6-6 with a 4.39 earned run average. When ISU won the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship, Keck was the starting pitcher for the first game of the NCAA Tournament against Oklahoma State. He holds the record for most innings pitched in a career with 328.
Keck lives in Quincy with his wife, Tracy, and their four children – Taylor and triplets Anna, Avery and Bryce. He is co-owner of Keck Heating and Air Conditioning.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the induction committee, as well as all of the family, friends, teammates and staff members who made such a positive influence on my life. My most memorable days as a student-athlete came from the classrooms and playing fields at Quincy Notre Dame. Those memories came from the togetherness and personal relationships that began on the first days of becoming a Raider, the kind of relationships that come only from being a Raider. I would like to extend a special thanks to my baseball coaches, Lonny Lemon and Dave Fleer, as well as my parents, Denny and Sharon Keck, all of whom played an instrumental role in my success as a person and a baseball player. Their support, knowledge and relationships absolutely gave me the willingness and abilities to succeed on and off the field.