By JIM STEELE
mckenzierebels.com

McKenzie senior Clint Kee normally uses his right hand to strike out opposing batters. Monday, the Rebel hurler used it to pick up a pen and sign on the dotted line.

Kee inked with Bethel College's baseball team in a ceremony at MHS. He joins his cousin, Drew Brown, as MHS signees with Bethel. Brown signed with the Wildcats back on October 1.

Kee, who at the time of his signing, was 7-1 with 80 strikeouts, 15 walks and an ERA of 1.00. He said he was glad to get the signing out of the way.

"I feel the pressure has been taken off," said Kee. "Now, I can concentrate on the rest of the high school season and hopefully make it to Murfreesboro."

Kee has some signature victories with Huntingdon and JCS. His lone loss came in the Big Red Classic finals against Lexington and fellow standout Bethel signee Billy Keck. That was a 5-3 decision in a game that McKenzie could have won. Beating JCS 9-1 and avenging last year's substate loss has seemingly propelled the righty.

"That JCS game gave me a lot of confidence," he said. "I built on the substate game last year."

Kee says he likes the ball in his hand when the pressure is on.

"I like it," he said. "And the team says they play a lot better and with a lot more confidence when I'm out there."

Kee has a ritual he observes when he takes the mound. He writes in the dirt with his finger the name of his late grandmother and Jesus. He says that helps him focus and he dedicates his effort to those individuals.

Bethel coach Rusty Thompson said he feels he has a gem in Kee.

"We are extremely excited to sign another talented player from this area," he said. "His abilities on the mound will help us out at Bethel. He has a lot of intangibles and he knows how to win."

The Wildcats are looking for help on the mound and Kee could work in as a reliever to start and perhaps crack the starting rotation.

"We need pitching. This past year, we had a couple of young arms in the bullpen," said Thompson. "But we lost a lot of seniors and we hope Clint can fill a role soon."

Kee doesn't have overpowering stuff and can peak a radar gun at 85, but he does have something a lot of others don't.

"He has control of his breaking ball and can throw it for a strike on any count," Thompson said. "He has an ability to make big pitches and step up in the clutch. When you have a breaking ball like his, you don't have to have to throw it 89 miles per hour."

"Clint is the ace of our staff, obviously, and the team plays better when he pitches," said MHS coach Lynn Yarbrough. "And when he pitches, usually it's not will we win, but what's the score going to be. We seem to score more runs because of the confidence we have in him."

Yarbrough says that Kee's success can be attributed to his control.

"He has a lot of strikeouts, but he's not a strikeout pitcher," the coach said. "I think his strikeouts are so high because he throws so many strikes. He has great location and if Drew sets up, the ball will be there."

Former Rebel coach Jeremy Maddox, who was on hand for the signing, rolled the dice with the freshman in the Milan Sports Medicine tournament against the defending 2A state champions, Milan.

"Clint's been a competitor since the first day he's been on the field and everybody has seen that in him," he said. "He's gotten better and better."

Maddox said that Kee wasn't arbitrarily asked to take the mound against Milan back in 2005.

"Everything Clint has gotten, he's earned. That start in Milan was earned," said Maddox. "He always wants the ball against better teams and he has a competitive fire."

Kee was a wide receiver with the Rebel football team and caught the first TD pass of the fabled 2007 season, a 14-yard wheel-route completion from Derek Carr in the first 15 seconds of the game. MHS won 42-0 and went on to complete a 13-2 mark and make an appearance in the Class A state championship game. Kee had 21 catches for 375 yards and three touchdowns this season.

"I think (the success from) football has carried over," Kee said. "We were a little rough at the beginning of the season, but now we've come together."

McKenzie is currently involved in the District 13A tournament.