Holmstrom Ready To Get After It At Ohio State

GROVE CITY - When Keegan Holmstrom began receiving college interest from Ohio State there was little doubt where the 16-year-old from Grove City would go.

“Ohio State is in my backyard and my parents went there,” Holmstrom related. “I think it’s a good place for me.”

With help from his high school coach at Grove City and traveling coach with the Cincinnati Flames, the third-rated 2024 left-handed pitcher in Ohio made a connection with the OSU staff. An offer eventually came in February and a commitment followed a few months later.

“One of the things that coach Beales believes in is competitiveness,” explained Holmstrom, referring to Greg Beals, the former Ohio State head coach. “Competitive toughness is what he called it. He said ‘I don't know if you’re going to come in as a two-way, but with your competitiveness we know you can play there.’ ”

The chance to play in the outfield as well as pitch was important for the 16th-ranked 2024 in the state.

“It’s definitely what I want to do,” admitted Holmstrom, a left-handed leadoff hitter for the Division I state runners-up this past season. “If it comes down to picking one, I don’t know what I would do. Right now I’m working on being two-way.”

Although a coaching change at Ohio State has taken place since making a commitment, Holmstrom is confident being a Buckeye is right for him.

“All the coaches seem to be great guys,” Holmstrom noted. “Coach (Bill) Mosiello had a lot of success at TCU and the new coordinator (Damon Lessler) knows what he’s doing. They seem ready to bring back some Big 10 championships.”

Holmstrom, who pointed to “the national brand at Ohio State and knowing a degree there will help get a job” in the future, is excited to be part of the new regime.

“I can’t wait to go to war with the guys I’m building a relationship with,” explained Holmstrom, who was 9-0 with a 1.50 ERA in earning first-team all-state honors as a sophomore. “I’ll go out on the mound and compete and hope to play my role at the dish and defensively.”

The desire to play at the next level has been around forever.

“Playing college baseball and eventually MLB is something I’ve wanted to do since I picked up a bat,” Holmstrom reflected. “I can see myself doing it for a long time. Mike Mayers from Grove City is playing with the Cards and seeing what he can do seems like a cool opportunity that I would like to have.”

That idea began becoming a reality for Holmstrom during eighth-grade summer.

“I started getting looks and some Twitter action,” Holmstrom related. “I thought I might have a chance to get coaches to come to my games. After that things took off with phone calls and building relationships.”

It was an enjoyable recruiting process according to Holmstrom.

“It was super cool visiting a bunch of schools that would show you around and try to convince you to come there,” noted Holmstrom, who also had college interest from Indiana, Virginia and Pittsburgh. “It was a different level of stress. You’re at all these beautiful places and you have to pick one.

“One of the things I used to my advantage was social media and playing on a summer team pushing to get my name out there. Once you prove you can play it just takes off.”

Holmstrom credited Flames’ head coach Justin Rice, Flames’ assistant coaches Austin Hatfield and Ken Hatfield, Grove City head coach Ryan Alexander and Apax Performance trainer Josh Cyr with playing important roles along the way in addition to his parents.

It was a joyous feeling when a commitment became official.

“My aunt got an Ohio State jersey and customized it with my name on it,” Holmstrom said. “It was all super exciting.”

Now the focus turns to improvement.

“I want to put on some weight,” noted the 5-10 165-pounder, who participated in PBR events such as the Prospect Games, Ohio Future 50, Flames’ Scout Day, Top Prospect Games and Ohio Procase during his recruitment. “I want to get in the weight room and get after it, not just to get stronger but to clean up things. That will be a key factor in helping me take off.”

Holmstrom is confident he has a big future ahead.

“I’m looking forward to continuing to grow my game and letting the Ohio State coaches help develop me,” Holmstrom concluded. “I want to be a draft prospect from there.”