Photo: Kenny Matthews
By Brian Gosset
X – @gosset41
X – @gmsportsmedia1
Legendary baseball coach Rop Stramp is going out on top.
In his final game with Keller, the Indians beat Austin Lake Travis 2-1 in the Class 6A D1 state championship game on Saturday at Dell Diamond in Round Rock. It’s Keller’s first title in program history.
Top MLB prospect, Tennessee signee Cole Koeninger was voted state champ MVP with 2 hits, 1 run allowed, 5 walks and 8 strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings. Koeninger (11-1) reached the 110-pitch limit and Connor Davenport closed it out for the save.
Keller finishes 40-4-2.
The Indians had reached the Final Four for the third time and second time in the champ game. Keller lost to Rockwall-Heath in the 2021 Class 6A title game.
Leading 2-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Koeninger got a batter to fly out to left center and then picked up his final strikeout to give the Cavaliers 2 outs. Koeninger walked the next batter and had to be pulled for Davenport.
Nolan Atkins, who came in to pinch run for Lake Travis, advanced to third when he scored on a wild pitch to cut the lead to 2-1.
Lake Travis put two more runners on following a walk and hit by pitch, setting up the game-winning run at first base. But Davenport got a batter to swing at a 1-2 pitch that went to first base for the championship out.
Keller led 1-0 in the top of the first inning when Maximus Segura drove in Brock Burkett on an RBI sac fly to left center.
The Indians went ahead 2-0 in the sixth when Carson Lesley reached on a fielder’s choice to shortstop with Grey Crowson scoring.
Stramp started at Keller in 1998 and finishes with 770 career wins in 30 years. The Indians haven’t missed the playoffs since 2002.
