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SJU Product Brian O'Keefe Turning Heads In St. Louis Organization

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The St. Joseph's University baseball program has had more than its fair share of really good players over the last few years.

One of them is catcher Brian O'Keefe, who, after a junior season where he hit .350 with seven home runs, was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 7th round in 2014.

O'Keefe has spent most of the 2016 campaign with Single-A Peoria in the Midwest League and he's played well for the Chiefs. The 23-year-old right-handed hitter is batting .254 with 8 home runs, which leads the team, and 42 RBI.

"It's certainly nice to be having some success in pro ball, for sure," O'Keefe tells KYW Newsradio.

Listen to the entire interview with former SJU standout Brian O'Keefe:

 

While he's putting up good numbers at the plate, O'Keefe says he's probably made the most progress as a pro with work on defense.

"When I look at it," O'Keefe says, "I think my defense has come a long way and I think it still has a long way to go. I think that part of the game is always going to be something that I continue to work towards, on being really, really good, and frankly I want to be great in that area."

O'Keefe has thrown out 15 of 45 runners (33%) that have attempted to steal against him this season with Peoria.

While he is two years removed from his time on Hawk Hill, O'Keefe remembers his time at St. Joe's fondly and he has very high praise for his head coach with the Hawks, Fritz Hamburg.

"Without a question, Fritz got me ready for everything," O'Keefe says. "Mostly from a mental standpoint. (Assistant) Coach (Matt) Allison did a fantastic job with me on the offensive side, (Former St. Joe's Assistant) Coach (David) Valesente did a hell of a job with getting me ready defensively. And (Hamburg), without him, I mean, I still talk to him on a regular basis. He pushed me to be the best player I could be on and off the field. There were times when me and him might not have necessarily agreed with one another, we might not have seen eye-to-eye, but looking back on it now, he was right in every regard. He really made me the player, and helped shape some of the person, I am today. For that I'll always be so grateful towards him."

O'Keefe and the Chiefs open a series against Quad Cities tonight.

 

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