Wednesday March 27th, 2024
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An interview with Monster/Combat's Wayne Kennedy

Wayne Kennedy

USSSA Playing History

GoSoftball.com Player Page

Who are you playing with in 2012?
Monster/Combat

Why do you like the game of softball?
Competition and doing work with my teammates…..spending time as a team in between games just hanging out.

Who is the best softball player you have ever seen play?
Offensively would have to say Helmer, Rusty, McCraw & Kendrick

Defensively would say Shooter, Ryan Goodman, and my Dad(Wayne Kennedy Sr.)

Who is the best up and coming player in softball and why?
Geo Miller-  5 tool player- speed, gap to gap, power, incredible range at ss, and can play OF too.   Just happy he's on our team!

What is your nickname in softball?
Wayno, Stumps, or Ones

What is your height and weight?
6'4", 255lbs

Where do you call home?
Lacey, Wa

What's your favorite way to spend an off weekend?
Working drills with my boys, or going to their events.   They eat, sleep and drink the game.   It's awesome, no bigger rush for me than watching them succeed with the tools I have helped them with.

What do you do for a living?
Manager at 24 Hour Fitness

Did you play sports in High School / College / Pro?
Football, Baseball, and Basketball in High School.   Signed with Cleveland Indians, but was oft injured(you don't make a team from the training room).   Was teammates in Burlington, NC with Kyle Moyer(Team 454).   Had some good times at Kirks Motor Court.

How did you get your start in softball and how did you get to the upper level?
Was asked to come out by a local guy on league night, he handed me a Ritchs Superior Powerdome bat, and I hit it a ways, and they were blown away…..that weekend was the "E" state championships, and they asked me to come out and join the squad.   First game I was batting 4th, soon, after going 0-9, they had taken me out of the lineup.   In the championship game, one of our guys got injured, and I was forced back into action.   It was the 7th inning and it was a tie game, I hit the ball to dead center field over the CF head, and we won the game.  Just so happens that there was an upper level tourney going on at the same time, and 1 coach was watching, and asked me to play for his team from there on.   So I went 1-10, and got moved up…..bet that doesn't happen much!

What was the best advice you were ever given?
Don't ever give up, and surround yourself with the right people.   The wrong people will bring you down too.

What advice can you give a young player trying to break into the upper level?
Spend the time making yourself better by putting the practice in…..also the time in the weight room getting bigger, faster, stronger.

What position do you play?
1B, 3B, and P

What batting grip do you use?
Pinky over the nob, ring finger on the nob.

What ounce bat do you use?
28 Combatant, 30 Spike and Kendrick

What do you do in the offseason to prepare for the next softball season?
Working for a fitness company helps a lot.   Makes it easy to work out,  I like to mix it up, spend the first 2 months of the offseason getting bigger/stronger through the holiday times, then go back to a cardio based, cross fit type workouts to cut down.   Bp 300-400 cuts per week, and infield work.

What is your favorite sports team?
Cleveland Indians, Washington Huskies Football

What is your favorite sport other than softball?
Football to watch, Hunting to do myself

Do you have any superstitions and if so, what are they?
Not really, but I do have a certain pair of sanitary socks that I have had forever, their awesome, and have like 6 holes in them, but they work….

What is your most memorable softball moment?
Winning 2009 C Worlds, against all odds.   From having little to no sponsor, and guys helping pay for one another, it was awesome that a group of dudes came together so well.

What would be your "at bat" music selection?
Thunderstruck would be a good one!

What is the best improvement upper level softball could make?
I'm new here….so best I could give would be consistency in the strike zones.

What is your favorite non-World tournament?
King of the Northwest.   50+ teams at a turf complex, Open Format, 5 minutes from my house….doesn't get any better than that

What is the best softball field you have played at and why?
Sterling Heights, MI….it isn't the nicest place, but all the fields are in 1 spot, and they treat you like royalty….its pretty sweet!

Where is the best place to eat on the road after a game?
Subway….I love my chicken breast, spinach, and olives.   Also Houlihans in Orlando awesome, 6.99 breakfast buffet….pretty phenomenal!

What is the funniest thing you have ever seen on a softball field?
Playing in the CanAm in Softball City, CN, one of our guys was at the plate and he saw the pitch coming, thought it was ball 4, so he went into this statue of liberty pose thing, all the sudden the curve ball was coming back across the plate, the guy(who will remain nameless) quickly adjusted in time to say "oh shhhh", and swung with one hand, and slipped and fell down in the box!  I never laughed so hard…..gotta love Disco!

 

 


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