Congrats on your new commitment! What is it about Valparaiso that excites you the most?
What excites me most is that I will be playing against some great competition in The Missouri Valley Conference and become a better baseball player because of it. I am also excited to be going to a school during such an exciting time for the program because they just moved to the MVC. The coaching staff is great and I believe they will develop me into the best player possible.
You joined Top Tier in the fall of 2015. Talk a little bit about your experience and what it means to you to play with Top Tier.
My two years with Top Tier have been great! I think I have grown so much not only as a baseball player but as a person since I joined this program. When I would go to winter workouts and Velo Depot I knew I would leave feeling like I had gotten better that day. I have also had the opportunity to meet some of my best friends through Top Tier and travel the country with them! It means a lot to play for such a great program like Top Tier with such great coaches who are going to do everything they can to make you the best player you can be. I am so thankful to have had the chance to play for Top Tier.
Talk a little bit about the recruiting process and how everything went down.
The recruiting process started for me the summer after my Junior year. The process was very stressful at times for me. I loved talking to coaches and learning about their programs. I wanted to wait until after the season ended to compare all my options then decide on what school I would attend. After I visited Valpo and saw all the great things that were going on both athletically and academically I knew Valpo was the right place for me!
What were some of the priorities you looked at when deciding where you wanted to commit?
I wanted to go to a school where I knew I could get a great education and be successful after baseball. I also wanted to go to a baseball program that is going to play competitive D1 baseball. I also didn’t want to go too far away from home. Valparaiso fit all three of my priorities so it made the decision easy.
What challenges do you see ahead of you before you get to campus?
Some challenges I see ahead are that I need to add a few more MPH before I attend Valpo and be able to maintain that velocity to ensure success at the collegiate level. I would also like to get a lot stronger before I get to campus.
What are some of the goals you have set for yourself as a college baseball player?
I want to be a weekend starter at Valpo and be able to have a positive impact on the program and hopefully help us contend for a MVC title and beyond. Overall I want to leave Valparaiso knowing I am the best baseball player I could possibly be.
Is there anybody you would like to give a shout-out or thanks to?
Yes, I would like to thank my parents first for all the support and taking me from place to place and making my dream possible, I couldn’t do this without them! I would also like to thank Todd Fine, Matt Plante, Griffin Phelps, and the rest of the Top Tier staff for giving me this opportunity 2 years ago and all the help along the way. Also thank you to all my former coaches for developing me before Top Tier. Lastly, my brother, sister, and my grandparents for all the support ever since I started travel ball!
2018 LHP Keegan Bates Commits to Valparaiso
August 10, 2017