The North Callaway battery will stay in Callaway County.

The Thunderbirds’ No. 1 pitcher Keaton Bell and No. 1 catcher Carter Moore both signed in the last two weeks to play in college. Bell is going to the mound for William Woods University in Fulton while Moore will play crosstown for Westminster College.

Bell’s signing ceremony was on Thursday and said he was excited to have the opportunity to continue playing a sport he loves. His love for the sport is a big reason why he had an all-Eastern Missouri Conference and all-district season for North Callaway in its first district title season since 1999.

“To be good at anything, you’ve got to love what you do,” Bell said. “You’re not going to want to put in the time and effort if you don’t love doing it. It’s like any job, hobby, passion or career, you’ve got to love what you do.”

Bell had a 2.35 ERA in a season North Callaway made a run to the Class 3 state quarterfinals. He also had 51 strikeouts, 10 walks and 41 hits allowed in 50 2/3 innings, hit .284 at the plate and stole a team-high 21 bases. 

Head coach Kirt Kleindienst began coaching Bell and Moore in 2015 for the 10U Callaway Crew baseball team, which was his first year as a head coach. As is the case with them as seniors, Kleindienst said North Callaway’ success “revolved around the most reliable pitching and catching duo in the Mid-Missouri area.

Kleindienst has felt good giving the baseball to Bell before every big game since he was 10 years old. Bell has other skills as well. 

“Keaton is a rare talent with his intuition and flow for the game of baseball,” Kleindienst said. “He’s not just a pitcher. He’s a ballplayer. Keaton is a freight train on the base paths with impeccable instincts. I’ve always said that if I could choose a pinch runner for myself, it would be Keaton Bell.”

Bell will be going to the same school his mother, Amy, attended and said he developed an attachment to it after meeting the coaches and seeing the campus and community. He said he might study sports management but is still uncertain about what he will pursue. 

William Woods head coach John Cavness said it is important to find good local talent, especially some players who are about 15 minutes down the road, like Bell. While there might be chances for Bell to hit in the future, he said the priority will be to develop Bell as a pitcher.

“It’s his demeanor on the mound,” Cavness said when asked what impressed him the most. “The guy goes and competes. It’s nothing super overpowering on the mound, but it’s a guy who fills up the zone and competes with everything he’s got. That’s our mantra as a pitching staff. A guy like that can come in and compete and throw strikes.”

For Bell, he said his playing career and dream to play college baseball can both be traced to when he was 3 years old. Moore wasn’t that much older when he decided on the same future.

“Ever since I was 4 years old,” Moore said when asked how long he’s been playing. “As I started playing T-ball, I was like, ‘This is what I want to do forever.’”

Last season, Moore had a .282 batting average, struck out 36, walked 16 and allowed 33 hits in 37 1/3 innings pitched for a 4.31 ERA, and finished with a .976 fielding percentage behind the plate.

Kleindienst said Moore has always been the “catcher of choice” and has the character, toughness and is a coach on the field for the Thunderbirds. He said he was aware of Moore’s college ambitions ever since his first practice with Moore at 10 years old before growing up to being the 10U Callaway Crew head coach today. 

“Carter is a coach's dream to have behind the plate,” Kleindienst said. “Carter is a player who is never satisfied, and he is always looking to improve upon the fundamental skills in the craft of catching, and overall, the game of baseball.”

Moore plans to study biology to go on the pre-med track. He will be doing it at a place where he already feels comfortable.

“For me, it was a pretty easy decision,” Moore said. “Westminster, once I went on my visit, felt like home. It’s so close to home, and it was really nice.”

Bell and Moore loved being a part of last year’s historic team but have enjoyed the team every year while they’ve been at North Callaway. For Bell, it was a good fit playing the game he loves in a community he loves.

“Every year, it’s a great team with a great group of guys,” Bell said. “I love the coaching and community. It’s a small school so it’s tight-knit. It’s the best.”

Kleindienst is happy to have each of them for one more season and is grateful that their parents — Clifton and Amy Bell and Dustin and Dawn Moore — allowed him to be their coach. 

“None of this would’ve been possible without the amazing support the families that both players have,” Kleindienst said. “I want to thank those families for entrusting their baseball players to myself for all these years."