BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Keystone Heights High School senior has been swinging a bat ever since he was able to stand upright as a toddler.
Thanks to Daytona State College, he doesn’t have to stop swinging it once this year’s high school season comes to an end for the Indians. Guy signed a letter of intent to play for the Falcons during a Feb. 23 ceremony in the KHHS media center.
“When I was 3 or 4 years old, I knew that’s what I wanted to do,” Guy said of playing in college. “I put my mind to it. My family had my back the whole time. We made it happen.”
Guy’s grandfather Kenny Downs spoke during the ceremony about how he gave his grandson a plastic bat when he was 9 or 10 months old. He’d stand three or four steps from Guy, throw a big, soft ball to where the bat was and say, “Swing.”
As Guy got older, the bat and the ball both got smaller.
“We did that for a long time,” Downs said, adding, “We got to playing in the house until he broke the lampshade. We were asked to please go outside.”
Guy has proven he can make contact with the ball. He led Keystone in batting average his freshman (.372) and sophomore (.351) seasons and was second last year (.357). He drove in 18 runs in each of his first two seasons, which put him second on the team as a freshman and first as a sophomore. Guy led the team as a junior with 22 RBI.
“His swing is one of the best swings I’ve ever seen since I’ve been coaching baseball,” KHHS Head Coach Chris Roach said.
Guy has also been among Keystone’s leaders in extra-base hits. He hit a team-high in triples with four in 2021, two in 2022 and four in 2023. Guy also hit a team-high in doubles with seven as a sophomore and six as a junior as well as a team-high two home runs as a junior.
Roach said the results have come through work. He described Guy as an “old-school baseball player in a new age” and said it’s not unusual for Guy to call at 10:30 at night after a game and ask if he can go put in time in the batting cage.
“Being his coach — it’s been pretty easy,” Roach said, adding, “It’s a pleasure to have a leader who works. If you watch the kid work, there’s no question you’re going to want to be more like him because of the success he has. He’s taken a lot of guys to the batting cage with him over the years.”
Guy said the hours he puts in swinging the bat are fun.
“I don’t think it’s work. I love it,” Guy said, adding, “There’s no better feeling than a ball hitting the barrel.”
Downs said Guy got a call from Daytona State College — a school “that was not on the radar.” Guy made a visit and enjoyed the experience.
“The guys at Daytona — I fit in well with them,” Guy said.
He was considering going to a Division II school in North Carolina, but decided Daytona State was the best fit for him. He accepted a scholarship while playing in a KHHS golf match in Starke.
Golf and baseball are just two of the sports Guy has played at KHHS. He was also on the basketball and football teams.
KHHS Head Football Coach Steve Reynolds said, “Best punter in school history. I can’t say enough about his character.”
Roach said playing at the junior-college level in Florida, which he noted is “pretty good,” will be a challenge for Guy, but he believes it’s a challenge Guy is looking forward to.
Guy said the fact that Keystone plays a challenging schedule will help him as moves to the next level.
“We’re actually playing a lot of good competition right now at Keystone,” Guy said. “I think every (pitcher) we’ve faced (through Feb. 22) is going to college. “That’s definitely helping me prepare.”
Guy plays center field for the Indians. Roach said Guy is “good-footed with real good speed and a really good arm.”
“He takes control in the outfield,” Roach said. “He covers a lot of ground. He does very well in directing traffic as far as the other guys out there.”
As if the moment wasn’t special enough for Guy, Principal Laurie Burke read a letter to Guy from former KHHS Baseball Coach Alan Mattox, who retired after Guy’s freshman season. Part of the letter read: “This opportunity is well-earned, and I know that you will accept the challenge of being elite every day on the field and in the classroom. Continue to grind every day, to improve spiritually, academically and in baseball. Never stray from the strong character foundation that you have that has made you a special, young man.”
Guy said the first time he steps onto the field at Daytona State will be scary and admitted it’ll be a little intimidating playing for Head Coach Tim Touma, saying, “He’s no joke.”
However, Guy’s looking forward to the experience. After all, he’s been preparing his whole life for it.
“There are going to be a lot of guys (there who are) kind of like me,” Guy said. “We’re going to have fun. We’re going to get after it.”
