Keota’s Waterhouse signs with William Penn for baseball

Different players respond in different ways to different things.

Austin Waterhouse has a definite response to playing baseball. He loves it.

'Austin responds well to anything,” said his personal trainer Les Washington. Washington has worked with him for years. 'He responds great to anything, just anything.”

Waterhouse, a senior who plays for Keota High School, has signed a letter of intent to continue playing baseball at the next level.

His college of choice is William Penn University over Indian Hill Community College. Both were about equal distance from home, which was a consideration when one's family loves to watch him play.

'From what I saw and what I know, William Penn is just a big sports school,” Waterhouse said. 'I love sports.”

He loves sports enough that he wants to further his education in that field.

'I think William Penn will provide me a better education,” he said.

He intends to major in sports management.

'I don't have a specific job in mind, I just love sports so anything in sports will be great for me,” Waterhouse said. 'I guess I could be a coach, but as long as it's in sports I will be happy.”

Baseball is his favorite sport because that is the one he is best at, but he appreciates how it takes more than one player to be successful.

'I really like the team aspect of baseball,” Waterhouse said.

Washington has spent as lot of time with Waterhouse. A big part of becoming a personal trainer is getting to know the athlete personally.

'He is just a great kid,” Washington said. 'If you don't develop that relationship first, they are not willing to drive all the way in. It is a trust factor between both of us. He is a wonderful young man. He has really grown over the years.”

Stepping up a level in play, there will be many new challenges, most of all will be the challenge to the mind.

'I think the mental part is a large part of the training he has gone through at Southern Iowa baseball in Ottumw,” Washington said. 'Especially in college, that will be a major part of preparing for the next level. There are going to be distractions. It is important to play through them.”

William Penn is looking at him as a middle infielder. Although he has pitched quite a bit in high school, that is not going to be a position he is interested in as a Statesman.

'I think, probably, my hitting is what needs the most work, so that my batting average gets better,” Waterhouse said. 'It needs to be a little higher.”

Keota was 11-9 last season when Waterhouse batted .310, hit four doubles, two triples and a home run. He had an on-base percentage of .474. The Eagles were 10-5 in the league, placing third in the 12-team conference. Keota was 10-11, 9-7 his sophomore year when he had a .310 BA and a .437 OBP.

Washington will continue to work with Waterhouse.

'He has made a big difference as my personal trainer,” Waterhouse said.

'Austin has some great overall athleticism,” Washington said. 'Explosive hips, footwork, attitude are things that help in basketball and I know Austin plays that. He is definitely a team player. I've seen him play on my spring league teams. He has a leadership type personality. I just can't say enough about him.”

Another influence in Waterhouse's decision is who he will work with as a Statesman.

'I like William Penn's coach because he has been very successful and I like to win,” Waterhouse said.

Mike Laird is in his 37th season as the head coach at William Penn. Laird's current record at William Penn is 981-560-3 (.635) while his overall head baseball coaching record is 1069-618-3 (.632), including an 88-58 mark at the high school level.

During his tenure, Statesmen baseball has been nationally recognized as a perennial powerhouse, ranking fourth in the NCAA in winning percentage in the 1990s. His teams have won 10 conference titles, competed in nine NCAA postseason tournaments, and appeared in six NAIA postseason tournaments. Under his direction, the Statesmen have captured national statistical titles in double plays, pitching, earned run average, slugging percentage, triples, best pitching records, and fewest runs allowed per game and season. Before WPU moved back to the NAIA in 2002, he was the winningest coach in Iowa Conference history. The Statesmen were 15-30 last season.

Keota's Austin Waterhouse smiles after signing a letter of intent to play baseball at William penn University as his mother, Traci Waterhouse, (from left to right) Keota coach Dakota McCombs, personal trainer Les Washington and father Jamey Waterhouse watch.