Keenum signs with Lady Tornadoes

by LaVonte Young The Daily Home

TALLADEGA The Talladega College Lady Tornadoes softball team has added a veteran pitcher to their rotation. Former Gadsden State standout Carlie Keenum signed with the Lady Tornadoes on Tuesday afternoon.

I am excited, Keenum said. The campus is really pretty. One of my real good friends of the family goes to school here and she really likes it, so that is what drew me here.

The 5-foot-3-inch pitcher had a solid sophomore season at Gadsden State. The Decatur native had a 9-7 record with an ERA of 3.08.

Keenum had nine appearances last season where she only allowed one earned run. The opposing teams batting average against her last season was .235 in 106.2 innings. She also stuck out 28 batters while walking 26.

Lauren Beal told me about her, and I began to research her and look for her, said TC head coach Mallory York. I saw her stats and everything else. She had a great background. At Gadsden State Community College she had a great coach there, so I know she has been taught the fundamentals and I know she is going to be a good athlete coming from there.



She also has a good head on her shoulders. She makes good grades and most of all she has a positive attitude.

The Lady Tornadoes struggled last season with a 12-27 record. Adding a two-year pitcher adds veteran leadership to a staff that was filled by three freshmen last season.

It gives me one more experienced pitcher, York said. She is coming from a junior college, so she has the experience of facing college athletes. So she is going to be smarter all-around with her pitching selection.

One of the things that impressed York about Keenum is being a coachable pitcher.

Her pitching style she is very open, York said. She is not one of those pitchers who says I can only pitch this. She is very open in learning new pitches. I was a pitcher in college, so I like to see those kind of pitchers that are very opened-minded.

Contact LaVonte Young at lyoung@dailyhome.com.