In The Dugout – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/1/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 1, 2003
One could argue the catcher’s position on the baseball diamond is one of the most unique places in the game. The player who handles the catching duties has to be able to signal for pitches, position his mitt as a target and be able to throw out the speedy opponent at second base.
Derek Kinnear has become quite the field general for Ohio State this season, taking a .187 batting average a season ago as a backup catcher and turning it into a .380 average to currently lead the team. The turnaround at the plate has not gone unnoticed as his name appears on the “watch list” for the Johnny Bench Award, given annually to the best catcher in college baseball.
Kinnear is certainly making a case for himself. Having ridden a team-best 13-game hit streak, he has a hit in nine of his last 10 games. The Big Ten Player of the Week (March 18) has 15 multiple-hit games and has knocked in multiple runs in eight games this season.
This past weekend, he had eight RBI, thanks to two- and three-run home runs and a bases loaded double that scored all three base runners.
With all of the success on the field, it is the man behind the mask that makes Kinnear unique.
His talents and hobbies range from playing the guitar to water sports and even cutting hair.
“I’ll start doing one thing for awhile and then get a little sick of it, so I’ll pick up something else,” Kinnear said.
Perhaps the first of his many hobbies began at the age of 10, just when he was big enough to handle the rush of wakeboarding and tubing.
It is not much of a surprise that Kinnear would enjoy water sports since he is comprised of many athletic qualities. It is however, a bit surprising to know Kinnear is quite the musician – at least he has been for the past four years.
“I picked up the guitar my freshman year,” Kinnear said. “Doug Larason and (former teammate) Jason Siler played and they kind of taught me the basics. Now I have three guitars: one acoustic and two electric.”
When he is not splashing around in the water or strumming one of his guitars, Kinnear can be found playing the role of barber to many of his teammates. He got started cutting hair by accident when he was simply trying to save a buck.
“My freshman year, like most college students, I didn’t have a lot of money,” Kinnear said. “I had to spend it carefully, so I just started cutting my own hair. I was pretty good and before you know it I was cutting the team’s hair.”
Despite his many talents and his focus on baseball, Kinnear pointed out that academics come first.
“I think of college more along the academic lines than anything else,” Kinnear said.
His major, structural engineering, has nothing to do with sports or music. It is just another talent.
“My dad owns his own construction company back in Kenton so I’ve been around it my whole life,” Kinnear said. “I have always liked to draw and design things so I just put two and two together.”
