Education
University of Kentucky.
University of Kentucky.
Drafted from the University of Kentucky in the seventh round of the 1981 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, Keener quickly progressed through the Cardinal farm system. Keener retired all four batters, two of them on strikeouts, en route to a 5-4 Cardinal victory. During the 1983 season, Keener appeared in just four games with the Cardinals, posting an European Research Area of 8.31.
His final appearance, September 27, 1983, marked his final game in the Major Leagues.
Despite his short tenure in the big leagues, Keener is remembered for his unusual "submarine" delivery, with which he delivered pitches with a sidearm/underarm motion, rather than over the shoulder. In 2003, Jeff Keener was the first baseball player inducted into the Southeastern Illinois College Hall of Fame.
After working as baseball coach and Physical education instructor, Keener in 2008 became Principal of General John A Logan Elementary School in Murphysboro, Illinois. In 2010 he became Assistant Principal at Murphysboro High School.
He is now the Principal at Murphysboro Middle School.
Jeff Keener has three children: Jonathon, Karli and Cameron.