Brendan McKay’s attitude immediately grabbed the attention of his baseball coach at the University of Louisville. Dan McDonnell couldn’t help but notice McKay’s soft-spoken, humble and team-oriented ways.
“The kids in our program really took to him because Brendan never had the attitude of ‘I’m better than you,’ ” said McDonnell. “He was just another freshman.”
Then Louisville started to play, and it was obvious McKay was not just another freshman.
Go ahead and call McKay one of the best freshmen in the country. In fact, it wouldn’t be an overstatement to call him one of the best college players in the country, regardless of class.
The kid who set WPIAL baseball on its ears a year ago at Blackhawk High School has been so good at Louisville that D1Baseball.com selected him as a midseason All-American. Only 15 players in the country were picked to the team and only three freshmen. Also, McKay has been selected to the 60-player Golden Spikes Award watch list. The award goes to the best amateur player in the country, and only four freshmen were named to the list.
Last year at Blackhawk, McKay pitched himself into WPIAL lore when he stretched a scoreless inning streak to 72⅓ innings, which tied for the second-longest streak in U.S. high school baseball history. But get this: McKay has earned his lofty college reputation not by just pitching. While some of his pitching statistics are among the best in Division I, McKay also plays first base and designated hitter. He is batting better than .300 and was named to the All-American team as a “utility” player.
Louisville is ranked No. 3 in Division I by Collegiate Baseball and the Cardinals have made the College World Series three times under McDonnell. McKay is the first player in McDonnell’s nine years as coach to start as a pitcher and also play just about every game as a position player or DH.
“We felt like he was going to eventually be a star in college baseball, but there is no timetable,” said McDonnell. “Some kids might have a chip on their shoulders and have a really tough freshman year. Three of four are probably going to struggle as freshmen. He hasn’t.”
McKay, a left-hander, started as a relief pitcher at Louisville, but quickly moved into a starting spot on weekends, when top college games are played. He is 6-1 with four saves and an impressive ERA of 1.70. He is No. 2 in Division I in hits allowed per nine innings at 4.08. He has 67 strikeouts in 53 innings and is 20th in Division I in strikeouts per nine innings. He is the only freshman in the top 25 in that category.
At the plate, McKay is Louisville’s third-leading hitter with a .325 average (37 of 114), 7 doubles, 1 home run and 18 RBIs. He has walked 26 times.
Even McKay has surpassed his own expectations.
“I had the idea that I would probably pitch out of the bullpen in the beginning and maybe get a couple pinch-hit at bats here and there,” said McKay. “I knew I would eventually get a shot to play some, both pitcher and first base. But I never thought I would be playing every day and pitching on the weekends.”
McDonnell said McKay has developed three good pitches — fastball, breaking ball and changeup. McKay said he is using his changeup more than ever, but is also consistently throwing his fastball from 88-91 mph. He has turned some extra weight into muscle and is now 6 feet 2, 200 pounds.
McKay was not taken in the Major League Baseball draft last year until the 34th round by the Padres. Some thought he might be selected in the first 10 rounds, but McKay and his father acknowledged they might have priced themselves out of a top-round pick because they let it be known they wanted a large signing bonus.
“So many people come out of high school thinking they have arrived. He never had that attitude and that’s what is so nice about him,” said McDonnell. “I hope, and it’s my goal, that after his junior year, you have a split about him. It doesn’t have to be a 50-50 split, but hopefully some [scouts] say we think he can hit at the next level, and some say we think he can pitch at the next level.”
For now, McKay is excelling at both.
Mike White: mwhite@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1975 and Twitter @mwhiteburgh.
First Published: April 22, 2015, 4:00 a.m.