By BYRON BEERS
Reed Trimble has accomplished a lot over the course of his high school career at Keys.
He’s been highly proficient in the classroom, and he’s excelled in sports, whether it be basketball, baseball or golf.
Trimble, who will attend Harvard and pursue a law degree following his time at Keys, is a National Merit Scholar and an Academic All-State selection.
It’s a balancing act for Trimble during the spring. He’s either on a golf course or the baseball diamond helping the Cougars.
“I try to focus on whatever sport I am currently in but in the spring it can be more challenging,” Trimble said. “Since baseball and golf coincide I end up switching back and forth between the sports almost daily. I try to do as many activities in and out of school as I can, and I achieve that by focusing on the moment.”
Trimble helped Keys reach the Class 3A state tournament in baseball last season as a junior and matched a state tournament record, going a perfect 5-for-5 in the Cougars’ 16-8 quarterfinal win over Bethel.
“The most memorable sports moment of my career was the baseball state tournament run last year,” said Trimble, a middle-of-the-order hitter, shortstop and pitcher. “We started off the run by going down to Hugo and upsetting them. Then we traveled to Sperry and upset Sperry once and Eufaula twice in order to make state. At state, we shocked the world again by run-ruling Bethel in the first round.
“That team was one of the most fun teams I’ve played on in my life. We went out on the field and had fun every game and our ability to stay loose for most of the game, but focus when it mattered led to us making a run nobody expected. We went further in the playoffs than any team in Keys history has ever gone.”
“Reed is a top line arm and has proven the ability to pitch at a high level in the biggest games we’ve played,” Keys baseball head coach Nick Zodrow said. “Also, Reed hits in the middle of our lineup. He’s a hitter that gets on base, drives in runs and plays with a high baseball IQ. When he’s not pitching he solidifies our defense in the middle at shortstop.”
Trimble not only hopes for a return trip to the state tournament in baseball, but the same goes for golf.
“In baseball, I would like to go back to the state tournament. As an individual, I want to hit over .500 for the year and have an ERA under 1.50. In golf, I want to return to the state tournament (we made it two years ago) and I would like to shoot in the 70s at the state tournament,” he said.
On the hardwood, Trimble shot 45 percent from behind the 3-point arc in his final season and helped the Cougars to a 19-6 record.
“I’ve improved in my confidence throughout my high school career,” he said. “In basketball it led to improve from a below average 3-point shooter my freshman year, to a 45 percent 3-point shooter as a senior. In baseball, confidence is everything. It has helped me to believe that every time I step in the box, I will get a hit. Or every time I step on the rubber I’ll throw a strike.”
