CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – Winthrop University baseball player Shane Keup and Longwood University women's lacrosse player Anastasia Lajoie have been awarded the annual Bob McCloskey Insurance Big South Conference Graduate Fellowships, it was announced May 20 by the league office.
Bob McCloskey Insurance, a Big South corporate partner, will award $2,000 each to Keup and Lajoie for their respective graduate studies. The check presentations will occur on May 29 as part of the conference's annual Spring Awards Dinner Banquet at Wild Dunes Resort in Isle of Palms, South Carolina.
The Big South Conference Graduate Fellowship Program was established by the league in the fall of 2005 as a means of recognizing the academic excellence of Big South Conference student-athletes who intend to pursue postgraduate studies upon graduation.
Shane Keup
Keup, who is from Columbia, South Carolina, graduated this month with a 3.985 GPA with a bachelor's degree in biology. He plans to pursue his M.B.A. at Winthrop, with a future goal of opening his own physical therapy practice.
Keup has made 21 appearances (two starts) for the Eagles this season, and is 3-3 with a 5.97 earned run average in 37.2 innings pitched. He has struck out 34 batters, recorded two saves and a combined shutout, while holding opposing batters to a .261 batting average. In conference games, Keup had 15 strikeouts in 14.2 innings, and allowed a .255 hitting clip in eight appearances.
Off the diamond, Keup has served on Winthrop's Student-Athlete Advisory Council the last two years. He volunteered as a Winthrop LEAP Leader in 2022, where he served as a tutor for freshman LEAP students in biology, chemistry and math courses. Keup was awarded the 2025 Winthrop Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award for possessing the highest GPA of a graduating male student-athlete. He was recognized on Winthrop's President's List for having a semester 4.0 four times. In the community, Keup has volunteered with the Rock Hill Miracle League, Project Life and Trunk or Treat.
Nominations for the Graduate Fellowship are made by the faculty athletics representative or the chief academic officer at a Big South member institution.
For more information, contact Brett Redden, assistant athletic director for communications, at reddenb@winthrop.edu.
