Elk City’s Krew Keyes

Elk City junior Krew Keyes has grown up in brown and white, and he would not have it any other way. From little league diamonds to high school playoff runs, the versatile middle infielder and pitcher has become a steady presence for the Elks baseball program.

Keyes, who also plays basketball, said his favorite memories so far are Elk City’s back-to-back trips to the state tournament, benchmarks he uses as fuel instead of finish lines. The postseason stage has reinforced a mindset he leans on in every sport. “Don’t put your head down after failure, forget about it and move on to the next play,” Keyes said.

That approach started taking shape long before varsity ball. Keyes points back to his eighth-grade science class with Coach Keyes as a turning point, saying he “learned interesting stuff in there” and began connecting hard work in the classroom with discipline on the field. At home and around town, family has been just as important. He credits his cousin Kash for inspiring him “to work harder and don’t give up,” remembering countless trips to the barn or workouts they knocked out together.

Inside the Elk City dugout, Keyes gravitates toward teammates who lead with energy and optimism. He points to teammate Geno as a catcher who is a “good leader and always positive,” an example he tries to follow. His favorite part of representing Elk City, he said, is the culture and the relationships built with teammates who have “all grew up in Elk City and played together our whole lives.”

Keyes keeps a simple motto in mind: “The greatest enemy of great is good,” a reminder that settling is not an option if he wants to reach his potential. He is quick to spread the credit, thanking his parents for “always putting in effort and taking me all over to play the game I love,” as well as his dad for extra coaching, his coaches for opportunities and his teammates “who always push me to be the best version of myself.”