Lucas McKinney is wired to win.
“No matter what it is, I strive to win,” said the Clarkston native and pitcher for the Grand Rapids Community College baseball team. “I just hate losing. I hope that my teammates can feed off of my competitiveness and energy, and have the mindset that we are the best team on the field.”
McKinney started playing baseball as soon as he could swing a bat.
“I first started off playing baseball around 4 years old in a tee ball league that my parents signed me up for,” he said. “From then on I stuck with it because I loved to play the game.”
McKinney’s competitiveness can be found in being a good role model and leader for the underclassmen. This leadership is driven by his will to win and his hatred towards losing.
“He’s been a good leader, we expect him to…(be a good leader)” said head coach Mike Eddington, “We have a younger team. He performed well last year so he has experience when we need our sophomores to lead our team.”
McKinney and his teammates started off the season 0-7, but have since improved to a 14-9 record after going 14-2 in their last 16 games.
McKinney has contributed to that success on the mound, throwing a shutout against Delta College on March 28, resulting in a 12-0 win for the Raiders in the first game of a doubleheader at Belknap Park.
“I think this team is starting to learn who we really are,” said McKinney. “We are a very young team and all we needed was to give the freshmen some time to adjust to college-level competition. The purpose of the Florida trip is to give us exposure to some of the best talented JUCO (junior college) players in the country. Playing great competition like that makes us better.”
So far this season, McKinney has posted a 3.58 ERA (earned run average), a 4-1 win/loss record, a WHIP (wins, hits, innings pitched) record of 1.16, 32.2 IP (innings pitched), 21 hits allowed, 17 runs allows, 13 earned runs allowed, 17 base on balls (walks) allowed and 31 strikeouts.
Eddington said McKinney came in as a two-way player, playing infield and pitching at the same time, “trying to figure out where his biggest upside was.”
This process made McKinney strictly a pitcher and through doing so has improved his success.
“As the fall went on, the coaches saw great potential in me as a pitcher,” said McKinney, “…so we ultimately agreed that I became a full-time pitcher. I think it’s one of the best decisions I have made and I don’t regret it at all.”
On Saturday April 6 and Sunday April 7, GRCC swept a doubleheader series against the Norse of Bay College at Belknap Park. Winning Saturday’s matchup 10-1 and 7-2, as well as Sunday’s matchup 11-4 and 6-3. GRCC then faced the junior varsity squad of the Panthers of Davenport University at Belknap Park on Tuesday, April 9, winning a lopsided game, 17-5.
After an expected rainout on Friday, McKinney and the Raiders face the Jayhawks of Muskegon Community College in a doubleheader starting with Game one at 1 p.m. and Game two at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 13 in Muskegon. On Sunday April 14, GRCC will travel back home to Belknap Park to once again face the Jayhawks. Game one begins at 1 p.m and Game two begins at 3 p.m.
