University of Mary Washington baseball alumnus James Keller '16 has been named to the major league coaching staff of the Cincinnati Reds, according to new manager Terry Francona.

Keller, a two-time all-region player at UMW, has emerged as one of the top young catcher coaches in professional baseball, having served the past two seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Reds organizations. He will join the Reds staff as bullpen catcher 

Keller turned in a record-breaking campaign for the Eagles in 2016, batting .375 in 39 games, with a school-record 11 home runs, 50 RBI, and 43 runs scored. He hit 15 doubles and one triple, with an on-base percentage of .470 and a slugging percentage of .704. He then played professionally for the Shaumburg Boomers of the independent Frontier League for three seasons.

During his time with the Boomers from 2016-2018, Keller was a consistent and reliable catcher for the team. James was a part of the record-setting 2017 Boomers, who won the Frontier League Championship with a total record of 72-32.

He began his pro coaching career with the Lake Erie Crushers, and after spending a season with the Erie Seawolves and the Detroit Tigers, Keller coached in 2021 with the Gateway Grizzlies. He made the jump back to the MLB coaching ranks in 2023 when he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers Dominican Summer League team as a Development Assistant. He then joined the Cincinnati Reds DSL team prior to the 2024 season.