Warren’s Kennedy changes for the better

The best change-up Ryan Kennedy brought to the table this season had nothing to do with a pitch.

Kennedy changed up his attitude, and he’s convinced that’s the reason he put together the best season of his career.

In fact, Warren’s standout pitcher and shortstop was so impressive this spring that he has been named the honorary captain of the 2011 Daily Herald all-area baseball team.

“It’s easy to have your emotions all over the place as a teenager. It’s a phase a lot of kids go through and I went through it,” Kennedy said. “I used to get mad if my teammates made errors when I was pitching. I used to get upset with umps if they made a call I didn’t like. There were a lot of games that I played the whole game mad about something. I was being selfish because I was worried about getting a scholarship. I was stressed about that.

“I finally realized that I just had to grow up and settle down.”

Kennedy, who led Warren to a 22-13 record, a Class 4A regional title and the Class 4A sectional championship game at Barrington, had his epiphany last year after a rough outing during summer ball with the Blue Devils.

Back then, he was miles away from the player who went 8-2 on the mound this spring, rolling up 69 strikeouts in 56 1/3 innings with a 2.86 earned run average.

“On the last day last summer, I had a really rough game and I kind of ended on a bad note. Coach (Clint Smothers) pulled me aside and told me how I need to change that,” Kennedy said. “We ended up having a lot of heart-to-hearts about it.”

The heart-to-hearts were about how Kennedy was letting his competitiveness and the stress he was feeling to perform flawlessly in front of college scouts affect his performance and his relationships with teammates.

“Ryan would wear his emotions on his sleeve,” Smothers said. “When things went bad, he would let that dictate how things were going to go for him, especially when he was on the mound.

“I just told him that you might not always have a great game when a scout is watching you. But what they really want to see is how you handle yourself, how you react to adversity. Are you able to keep your composure?”

Ironically, Kennedy bagged a scholarship to Valparaiso University, where he will play next year alongside his older brother Sean, because of his composure.

Just as if he flipped a switch, Kennedy changed his attitude after that last summer ball game and suddenly became the poster boy for calm.

“It’s funny because the coaches at Valparaiso told me they like my composure. It’s a change that has been really good for me, and it’s the way I’m going to be from now on,” Kennedy said. “I just realized that playing baseball is definitely a lot easier when you’re calm. Instead of getting mad at teammates if they make an error, I try to pick them up for next time. And I try not to complain to the umps because they won’t ever give you any calls.

“I might still throw my mitt against the bench every now and then if I give up a few runs in an inning, but I get over it a lot more quickly now and then I’m up with the guys cheering for us to get some runs. I’m not keeping my head down and staying mad.”

Kennedy’s transformation not only helped his relationships with his teammates, it also helped his own performance on the mound, in the field and at the plate.

Kennedy made countless clutch plays at shortstop this season and offensively, he put up numbers like never before. Once a pitcher that Smothers figured he’d have to use a designated hitter for, Kennedy raised his batting average to an impressive .426 with 40 hits.

“I am so proud of everything that Ryan has done, the way he’s pitched and hit the ball this year,” Smothers said. “But I’m most proud of the way he changed his attitude and has been such a positive influence with his teammates. He has matured so much and I think that says a lot about him.”

It was a change-up that Kennedy is thrilled got hit out of the park.