The events of May 17, 2019, will never be forgotten by Keelan Hodge.
On that date, Hodge earned MVP honors after pitching Junction City to the 2A state championship with a 2-1 win over Woodlawn.
After the game ended and the Dragons made their way off the field, Hodge saw a figure that would help shape his future.
Lance Spigner, who is building the baseball program at Arkansas Rich Mountain from scratch, greeted Hodge and offered him the opportunity to play collegiately.
The Dragons’ ace took him up on his offer, and on Thursday, Hodge made it official by signing with the Bucks.
Ironically, Hodge and the Dragons ended Spigner’s legendary run as Horatio’s coach by eliminating the Lions in the state semifinals.
Although several months have past since that day, Hodge spoke vividly of how everything happened.
“It was pretty crazy,” Hodge said. “I don’t have my best game, and we still win the state championship. That’s already crazy enough. I’m walking up the steps at Baum (-Walker Stadium), and all these people are crowding, congratulating me, and I see this pullover with a buck on it.
“He just said he wanted me to come and play for him, and I’m just sitting there in amazement. We just won a state championship, and I’m here with my guys and I’m happy and everything, he shoots me something like that, it just makes it so much better. It was crazy.”
As a junior, Hodge was dominant on the mound, going 12-1 with a 1.11 ERA.
In 69 innings of work, Hodge allowed just 34 hits, walked 29 and struck out 120.
During the regular season, Hodge did not allow a run in conference play, tossing 26 2/3 scoreless innings.
When he isn’t on the mound, Hodge mans shortstop for the Dragons. At the plate, he hit .307 with one home run and 17 RBIs. He scored 45 runs.
For Hodge, who said he will pitch and play shortstop in college, going to the next level is a dream come true.
“It was always a dream to play college ball and play at the next level,” Hodge said. “I’ve always known that I wanted to play at the next level. Around the ninth grade, I started playing a lot of showcase ball, moving around and trying to get looks at college. Only being 5-6, a lot of people just scroll over you. I thought about it and I looked at a couple of other colleges, but I figured that was the best fit for me. I really liked it there, and I really like him.”
Being a part of the program’s first team also helped sway Hodge.
“For sure,” Hodge said. “You think about it. You’re not only playing college ball, you’re playing on the first team. That’s a chance at history right there. You can’t ever tell how good a ball team is going to be.
“If we’re really good, go somewhere and compete and have history for the whole school and everything like that. My dad always said that if he were coach Spigner, that would be the first thing he would say, ‘Here’s your chance to play for the first team ever.’”
By going the junior college route, Hodge will get a chance to make an early impression.
“When you look at big D-1 colleges or even D-2, your chances of playing your freshman year are slim,” Hodge said.
“I don’t want to take any of my confidence away, but I go JUCO for two years, I can get bigger, faster and stronger, and I can get more help from the coaches instead of getting overlooked like a lot of freshmen, sophomores or whatever. I’m going JUCO because I’ve always wanted to play. That’s just two years of more experience, more ball, more weight lifting, everything. That’s just hard to turn down.”
Presently, Hodge has been preparing for his final season with the Dragons.
“It’s been going good,” Hodge said. “Just weight lifting, throwing a couple of times a week. I’m really trying to focus more on weight lifting.
“I’m trying to gain weight actually, but it’s harder than what everybody thinks, just going in the weight room every day and having a plan of what I want to accomplish. Bigger, faster, stronger, whatever it is, you don’t just go in and lift, you’ve got to have a mindset for everything.”
The season may be several months away, but Hodge is ready to get going.
“I’m a real big hunter, but after I got my offer and everything, I was like, ‘Man I don’t even want to hunt this year, I just want to go straight to baseball,’” Hodge said.
“A lot of people are lucky to get to even play in a state championship game, but to win one, there’s nothing like it. You get that chip on your shoulder and you're ready to get after it and win another one.”