— Perry Keith’s back in familiar places.

The Connors State baseball coach is back following a six-month suspension which took him out of the entire 2011 regular season for the Cowboys, skipping from the doldrums of an icy winter to his baseball camps and preparation for the annual Heartland Classic high school tournament.

The suspension over multiple violations of National Junior College Athletic Association rules was announced in December.  Keith said the issue involved a failure to properly file paperwork related to a group of letters of intent.

Suffice to say, it was his worst spring in the last 27, all of which have been spent at the CSC helm, but Keith didn’t want to be reflective on Tuesday.

“I screwed up, I paid for it and I paid dearly,” he said. “I don’t need to make stupid mistakes.”

In a statement released by the school on Tuesday, athletic director Bill Muse said that “Perry has fulfilled his suspension under the guidelines that were presented to him at the time of the action and is ready to complete his obligation to Connors, the NJCAA bylaws and rules.”

Keith said he appreciated the support of Connors administration.

“Doctor Nero and the entire administration all the way down stuck with me and I’m grateful,” Keith said. “I really appreciate Bobby (Foreman) too. He had a tough year but held the team together.”

Nero, who is retiring from Connors as president on June 30, said in the statement that he had “the utmost confidence in coach Keith that he will seek the highest standards for himself and the program.”

Foreman, Keith’s assistant for many years, took over the program 14 games into the season after Keith’s replacement, Cotton Nye, was dismissed for what Nye said was issues over how he was playing a particular player. The school never offered specifics, calling it a “personnel matter.”

Under Foreman, Connors went 31-14 and finished 39-20. The Cowboys were eliminated in their second elimination game in the Region II tournament at Jenks High School. Foreman will return to serving as Keith’s assistant.

Keith spent the off time on the road, evaluating players. He could not have contact with the day-to-day operations of the club.

“I’m just glad it’s behind me,” Keith said. “It wasn’t a good time but a lot of people have a whole lot worse stuff happening in their lives so I’m not complaining. I’m back to doing what I love and I’m thankful to be doing that. We have a special thing at Connors with this program with special people surrounding it.”

Keith posted a 1,236-352 win loss record at Connors, including induction into the NJCAA Hall of Fame in 2008, and a NJCAA College World Series

Keith’s Heartland Classic runs June 24-26 at Warner, Hilldale and Okay High Schools and also at Bacone and Connors State.