Biography
2022: A First Team Academic All-American, Keller rounds out her time at NIU as one of the best to ever do it in a Huskie uniform ... Just the second player in NIU history to earn first team All-MAC honors at least three times ... Ranked in the top five in the MAC in 12 offensive categories in 2022 ... Seventh-best batting average in the country ... Led the league and ranked sixth in Division I in doubles (20) and second in doubles per game (0.44) ... Her 72 career doubles set a MAC and NIU record ... Was a second team All-Region selection by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) ... 29 of Keller's 62 hits went for extra bases (20 doubles, two triples, seven home runs) as she posted a career best .764 slugging percentage while striking out just nine times in 140 at bats ... Led NIU with 18 multi-hit games, including a pair of four-hit games, and had 14 games with two-or-more RBI ... In the field, she did not commit an error in 217 chances with 27 games at catcher and 18 at first base ... MAC Medal of Excellence awardee ... MAC Player of the Week (March. 1 & 8) ... Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete.
2021: A 2019 first team All-Great Lakes Region selection, Keller is the second Huskie softball player to earn first team All-Great Lakes Region honors twice in a career and the first since Missy Kaczor accomplished the feat in 1995 and 1996...Garnered Academic All-America and Academic All-District accolades by the College Sports Information Directors of America...A true utility player, started 31 games at catcher, 17 at first base and eight in the outfield. One of two Huskies to start all 56 games in 2021, Keller has made 116 consecutive starts since Feb. 16, 2019 against Grand Canyon...Led the NCAA in doubles with a school-record 23...Set the school record for doubles in a season on a pair of doubles in the series opener against Miami (5/14) and tied the single game record for doubles in a game with three at Grand Canyon (3/10)...Led the Huskies in 12 offensive categories and ranked in the top five in six in the MAC in 2021, establishing career bests in 11 offensive categories...Of her team-leading 65 hits, 31 went for extra bases. In addition to her nation-leading 23 doubles, Keller led the Huskies with a career-high seven home runs and added a triple...Recorded 19 multi-hit games, tallying a season-high three hits in a game on five different occasions...Named MAC Female Scholar Athlete of the Week (5/21) following a solid six-game performance in the final week of the season, batting .563 with a slugging percentage of .813 and setting the school’s single season doubles record...Coaxed a career and team-best 35 walks, which ranked third in the MAC, helping her to a .536 on-base percentage...Tallied five perfect plate appearances, including three 3-for-3 games...Posted 12 multi-RBI games, driving in a season-high two runs in 12 games...Earned MAC Player of the Week honors (3/16) after batting .400 with six hits, all for extra bases in 15 at bats during NIU’s trip to Arizona. The Huskie junior tallied five doubles and a home run in five games... Academic All-MAC selection.
2020 (Season Halted Due to COVID-19): Started all 22 games, 16 at first base, six at catcher…Ranked in the top-five on the team in 12 offensive categories, leading in seven…Tallied a team-best 26 hits, including three home runs and eight doubles, all led the team…Recorded five multi-hit games, with a season-high four hits in two games…Drove in a season-high three runs in two games against Jacksonville State (2/15) and Delaware State (2/16) and finished with nine RBIs.
2019: Selected to the Schutt Sports/NFCA D-I Freshman Top 25 list, the first for a player from the Mid-American Conference…2019 NCAA statistical champion for doubles per game (0.45)…First team NFCA All-Great Lakes Region Team… Earned first team All-MAC and MAC All-Freshman Team honors…Named to the 2019 MAC Softball All-Tournament Team…Started 46 of 47 games; 20 at catcher, 25 at first base and one as designated player…Amassed a school-record and league-leading 21 doubles…Tied the runs scored in a game record with four at Saint Louis (3/14) and doubles in a game (3) against Detroit Mercy (3/16)…Named MAC Co-Player of the Week (3/19)…Ranked in the op-10 in the conference in seven offensive categories…Led the Huskies in four offensive categories and ranked in the top-five in nine others.
High School: Three-time all-state, all-area, and all-conference player at Geneva Community High School … Recognized as Most Improved Player in 2016 … Three-time varsity letterwinner … In 2018 season hit a batting average of .526 with 40 hits, 31 RBIs and 5 home runs … Held a slugging percentage of .961 in 2018 … Holds high school records of highest batting average (.576), most hits (61), home runs (12), and most runs scored (62) in a single season … Named captain of Daily Herald’s all-area first team … Finished 2017 season with a batting average of .576 with 62 runs, 17 doubles, and 12 home runs … Finished 2016 season with a batting average of .513 with 61 hits and a slugging percentage of .773.
Personal: Daughter to Brian and Kris Keller. Major: Pre-Physical Therapy.
