Xavier wins two and Keller is still playing high school baseball

Jon Keller is still playing high school baseball, and he's OK with that.

“I'm going to try and stay here as long as I can,” the Cedar Rapids Xavier senior said after his team's 8-5, 8-6 double-header sweep of Cedar Rapids Jefferson last night at Jefferson. “It's fun winning games and stuff. I love my teammates. I want to try and win a state championship.”

Keller was drafted by the Seattle Mariners two weeks ago in the 11th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft as a pitcher. The 6-foot-5 right-hander got a contract offer from Seattle earlier this week and said “we're thinking about it.”

But you get the feeling this is just the first step in what could be a summer-long negotiation process. MLB clubs have until Aug. 15 to sign their draft picks, and Keller has leverage in a scholarship to Nebraska.

“The area scout for the Mariners is coming to watch all my starts,” said Keller, who plays third base when not pitching. “They'll base it off how I do there. Like I said, I just want to stay as long as I can.”

Keller got the final two outs of the opener to pick up the save. In 31 1/3 innings, he is 5-0, allowing one run and striking out 57. He also came into the double-header hitting .593.

Xavier (15-7, 11-3 in the Mississippi Valley Conference) pounded out 15 hits in the opener, including a grand slam from Jake Ratz. Nate Even had a home run in the nightcap.

The Saints have eight games this week.

“We really swung the bats the first game,” said Xavier Coach Dave Schemmel. “Fifteen hits and 15 line-drive hits. We didn't have any cheap ones. We've been doing a couple different things in practice, and the kids have really taken to it. They're squaring up the ball and really doing a nice job.”

Matt Beer had a second-game homer for Jefferson (13-8, 7-7), which is playing without star shortstop Kellen Sweeney, a second-round pick of the

Toronto Blue Jays. Sweeney has decided not to play during contract negotiations with Toronto, and his father, Gary, said last night he expects it to be another two weeks until Sweeney signs professionally.