Garland Sports Hall of Fame

Keith Darter

Keith Darter in 1990 was named the Southwest Conference Player of the Year and was selected for the All-America third team. The University of Houston baseball player was named the designated hitter on both the All-Southwest Conference first team and the Conference All-Tournament team. Keith was the conference batting leader for the full season, with 93 hits in 535 times at bat for a .396 average. The versatile player also starred as a pitcher, winning eight games and saving four. He was a leading contributor to the 44-23 Houston season which earned a top 25 national ranking. As a junior in 1989, Keith hit .337 and had seven wins as a pitcher, despite being seriously injured during a fall workout. He previously played baseball at Richland Community College, where he earned junior college All-America recognition. As a senior at North Garland H.S., Keith led the 1985 Raiders to the state baseball tournament semi-finals and a full season record of 28 wins and only four losses and a tie. He was co-player of the year for District 9-5A and a first team All-District pitcher and was named to the All-State team. Among all players in Garland during district play, he had the most pitching victories and the best hitting record, posting a .622 batting average. In the state playoff bi-district series with Dallas Skyline, the Raiders won two games, behind Keith's pitching. North Garland H.S. then beat Plano for the area championship, capturing the second game behind his three-hitter. In the regional tournament, the Raiders topped Spring on Keith's four-hitter and won the championship final against Lufkin, as he hurled a two-hit victory. In the state tournament semi-finals, North Garland finally lost, falling to Victoria Stoman, 6 to 3, as Keith completed the season with 16 wins and only three losses.