AN ACE AT EXETER On the mound or ice, Keaveney’s locked in • B3
EXETER — Exeter High senior Cam Keaveney had already committed to pitch for the Northeastern University baseball team before he took the ice this winter to play hockey for the Blue Hawks.
It’s safe to say Keaveney made quite the last impression before returning to the baseball diamond.
After moving from defense to forward, Keaveney piled up 32 goals and 33 assists to become the program’s first player to win Division I Player of the Year honors. Eleventh-seeded Exeter’s Cinderella run ended in the Division I semifinals.
“There are plenty of guys who could’ve gotten it (Player of the Year), so I was super honored,” Keaveney said. “I grew up playing (every position), so it wasn’t that bad moving up, but it was a bit of an adjustment. It was definitely more fun on offense.”
Keaveney’s stellar hockey season left him third on the school’s all-time scoring list with 136 points with 48 career goals and 88 assists.
“It was amazing,” Keaveney said. “The team started off slow, but those playoffs were so much fun. I don’t think I could’ve asked for a better senior year.”
Keaveney grew up loving and excelling in both sports and he credits the hockey season for helping him get ready for the baseball season. Exeter improved to 5-1 by beating defending state champ Londonderry on Thursday, one day after topping Alvirne.
“During the hockey season I’m so conditioned for baseball and everything,” Keaveney said. “It’s just the hand/eye from baseball and batting pucks downs. It all translates.”
The lanky left-hander has emerged as a force in Exeter’s lineup. As a sophomore, he pitched sparingly, but he put the whole package together last year to earn Division I first team honors. Offensively, Keaveney posted a .404 batting average with 17 RBIs and 16 runs scored. On the mound, he went 3-1 with a save and a 3.16 ERA, with 36 strikeouts.
“He’s a special kid. There is no doubt about it,” Exeter coach Bruce Joyce said. “He’s one of our captains and leads by example on and off the field. He’s a huge part of what we’re doing. He hits third in the lineup, takes the ball every four or five days and plays a hell of an outfield as well.”
Keaveney played right field in Wednesday’s 10-0 five-inning win and his double to lead off the bottom of the third sparked a six-run inning that was capped by a three-run double by junior Hayden Schimoler.
“Keaveney has been really huge for our program. He’s kind of our glue,” Schimoler said. “He’s a crazy athlete, a crazy competitor and nobody works harder. He’s always at the cages, always at the rinks, and is always here early at the field. He’s earned every ounce of praise he gets.”
Schimoler, Keaveney and Cam Piwnicki form a solid top three in Exeter’s pitching rotation, but the Blue Hawks also got a good effort from Evan Louie on Wednesday. Louie pitched all five innings, allowing four hits, walking four and striking out four.
Keaveney and his teammates have high expectations for the season, which continues when he’s slated to take the mound for his third start of the season in Friday’s home game against Bishop Guertin (4-1). He’s 2-0 thus far in 10 innings pitched with a 0.78 ERA and 17 strikeouts.
“We’re playing good defense, pitching very well and our bats are starting to get hot,” Keaveney said. “We have so much potential. If we keep working hard, I think we have a really good shot of making it far this year. I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself, but we’ll see what happens. I’m excited.”