Brodie Keener has been cutting it up this summer for the Jacksonville Ospreys.

No, the left-hander has not been slacking on the diamond for the third-year summer collegiate baseball team. Rather, Keener has placed an emphasis on developing a new pitch – a cutter to his array of pitches.

“We were talking about adding another pitch and a cutter is what I had in mind,” Keener said. “We took a few bullpens to figure it out and get comfortable with it. It’s worked out really well.”

It sure has for the product from Middle Georgia State University.

Keener’s first start saw him scattered four hits and allow one earned run, strike out five and walk three in four innings in a 14-1 win at the Shallotte Shallywags on May 29.

He followed that by allowing just two hits, no runs, striking out four and walking one in six innings in a 6-2 home victory over the Oak Island Loggerheads on June 6. Keener then struck out eight, walked five, scattered four hits and allowed no runs in six innings in a 23-1 victory at the Laurinburg Highland Hooligans on Sunday.

“My plan was to only throw the cutter now and then, but I kept getting ugly swings and terrible reactions,” Keener said. “So, I was like ‘Ok, maybe this is something I can work with. Shoutout to my catcher, Andres (Cortes), because he picked up on it early when he called that game. We saw the pitch was moving and how it made hitters uncomfortable.”

The key, Keener added, was staying ahead in the count.

“That’s very apparent to my success is getting ahead of hitters and staying on top of hitters,” he said. “You just have to throw strikes and continue to put the team in the best position to win.”

Adding the cutter to his arsenal should help Keener become an even better hurdler for the Ospreys following his season last year where he played in the Old North State League All-Star game in his first stint with the team.

“Brodie was definitely one of the first people I reached out to about coming back,” Ospreys coach Josiah Zamora said. “Anytime you have an all-star with the quality of character that he has, it makes the team better. We are glad he was able to come back because he’s a good leader for us and he’s someone who wants the ball.”

Keener is happy to be back in Jacksonville. The native of Talking Rock, Ga., nearly 65 miles from Atlanta, did not hesitate to return to the Ospreys.

“I think one thing that really made me want to come back was the environment,” Keener said. “I love the people here. They are so nice and I love my teammates. We all get along really well.”

While Keener is pleased with his pitching so far this summer, the 2024 Pickens County High graduate knows he still work to do if he is to elevate his game and play a larger role in the rotation at Middle Georgia State, which transitioned from an NAIA school to an NCAA Division II athletic department in the Peach Belt Conference.

“I’m always here for self-improvement, growing as a player, but also as a person,” Keener said. “I’ve played since I was 3 years old, and it’s always something I’ve wanted to do in my life. I’ve been blessed with opportunities I’ve been giving and I love where I am at.

“Playing for this team is a blast. I’ve made lifelong friends here.”

Chris Miller can be contacted via email at cmiller@jdnews.com. Follow him on X @jdnsports.