Matthew Kennedy '17 Recruiting Profile

I am 6’7” and 230 pounds.  My #1 goal is to get a premier college education, using my athletic ability as a pitcher to help pay for that privilege.  This past summer playing for Tri-State Arsenal, I had a record of 6-1, and because of my teammates stellar defense behind me, they helped me keep my ERA down around 1.60. It is a great feeling on the mound to be able to relax and throw knowing that if I make a mistake, my guys are there to pick me up.  I throw strikes; I averaged about 2 to 3 walks per 7 innings.  Beside these stats and physical attributes, I feel my strongest traits are the inner strength and determination I rely on when I get into a jam on the mound and any difficult issue in life.  I have developed these characteristics from learning about and watching three people.

The first person is my strength trainer Daniel Hunt.  He was diagnosed with leukemia in his senior year of college.  During treatments, his weight went from 186 pounds to 105 in about six months.  Numerous times it was feared he would lose his battle. Two years later, he is now almost back to 186 pounds and will soon be entering the local police academy.  During his comeback, I have trained with him four to five times a week.  He has packed 45 pounds of muscle on me as well as made me more athletic.  His determination to gain back his health has inspired me to work harder than ever to meet my goals. He is like a brother to me.

The second person, is my Pop-Pop.  When he passed away two years ago he was almost 99 years old.  He grew up dirt poor during the Great Depression.  However, he overcame his difficult beginnings, raised five boys and two girls, put the five boys through college, all without my grandmother ever having to work.  He never went to high school, but would tell me ALL the time to study hard and get good grades in school.  He worked until he was 78 years old as a golf caddie, carrying two bags around a golf course, some days 36 holes. He stayed physically active after that.  The first time he had to spend a night in a hospital he was 97.  His work ethic and perseverance through very difficult times is something that I lean on to know that no matter how tough a time may be, it’s nothing as hard as my Pop-pop went through.  This pushes me to work hard and then buckle down and work harder when things get tough. 

The third person that drives me to succeed is my older brother Fitzy.  He was born a year before I was, but was 15 weeks premature.  He lived for five weeks.  Since that time, every year my family holds a charity golf tournament in his memory.   We give the proceeds to the neo-natal unit at the hospital where he was born.  His life and memory have shown me the importance of family, which I feel makes me a good teammate.  His struggle to live has strengthened my resolve to work harder than anyone, and to NEVER, ever give up until I reach my goals. 

Again, my #1 goal is to get a premier college education, using my athletic ability as a pitcher to help pay for that privilege.  I feel I have the skills to play at the college level, but it is for these other reasons that selecting me to be part of your program will not be a mistake.