In The Dugout – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/17/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 17, 2002
Sophomore catcher Derek Kinnear has worked his way into the backup role behind the plate for the Buckeyes behind the starting catcher, senior Joe Wilkins. Kinnear has no problem working as hard as he can to be a good backup. With his positive attitude and strong work ethic, he has shown his determination and love of the game.
“Joe is a great catcher,” Kinnear said. “I have been working my butt off all year for the last three years just to be in the spot where if Joe gets hurt, I’m the guy the coaches want in there. I have just been trying to gain the coaches’ trust and make sure they have confidence in me. I want to be able to fit right in there with no hassles.”
Kinnear admits to never being much of an offensive threat but feels he can help his team the most on the defensive side of things.
“My greatest strength is my defense,” Kinnear said. “I have been working very hard on offense, yet my No. 1 strength is throwing the ball. There are a lot of different aspects to being a good catcher.”
Playing for the Kenton High School Wildcats, Kinnear saw action as a pitcher and in the outfield. As a sophomore, he was the starting centerfielder. It wasn’t until he was given some advice that he switched positions from the outfield grass to behind the plate.
“I never thought I would be able to play baseball at a high level after high school because I wasn’t the greatest hitter,” Kinnear said. “I was talking to my buddy’s dad, who knows a lot about baseball, and he told me I should give catching a shot. He said I had a strong arm and I should give it a try.”
That’s exactly what he did.
Kinnear ended up catching his junior and senior years for the Wildcats and found he was pretty good at it.
Kinnear is the type of player who is not big on superstitions, but instead just enjoys listening to music before a game. He listens to Creed, his favorite band, and focuses his attention on the game. “All day long I am just thinking about what I am going to do during the game. I try to visualize plays that I would make in my head.”
A civil engineering major at Ohio State, Kinnear hopes to continue his learning and one day live in a big city, designing buildings.
“My dad is a contractor, so he is the one who does the building, and I have always been around that,” Kinnear said. “But I have always wanted to take that one step further, and be the person who gets to design them. I really like drawing and art. I want to go to a big city and design big buildings like hospitals or airports.”
Anything is possible in the future for Kinnear. He has shown interest in attending graduate school with a focus in architecture after earning his undergraduate degree.
