Ian Kendall making a difference on the mound for the Princeton Rays
"(Coach Kitchell) taught me a lot about being a man and the right way to go about things," Kendall said. "He fought cancer for five years and if he could do that, I can step on the mound and enjoy the situation I have the fortune of living."
Kendall says a prayer in remembrance of his coach every time he takes the mound. He has found his inspiration for pitching in professional baseball.
Growing up in Oregon, Ian Kendall always loved the Oregon State Beavers. His interest in the program peaked when he went to a camp in 7th grade after they had won the College World Series. He knew then that if he played college ball, he wanted to play it in Corvallis. With life comes tough decisions, however, and Kendall had to make one when he got drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the sixth round, the 161st overall selection of the 2010 Amateur Draft.
"Yeah, it was tough. When it came down to it, though, I just wanted to work on baseball every day and get better at it every single day. I realized that I could achieve my dream of playing professional baseball and I accepted the challenge," Kendall said.
Kendall pitched for the Rays affiliate in the Gulf Coast League last year, where he appeared in relief on four occasions. With Princeton, he is finally able to live out his dream of becoming a starting pitcher in the pros. Through three starts, Kendall is 1-0 with a 2.93 ERA in 15.1 innings of work. He earned his first win as a professional in his first start, at home against the Burlington Royals on June 22. Kendall said that while nerves were there for his first start, excitement was the feeling that overwhelmed him.
"I was more excited than nervous for that first start," Kendall said. "I was excited to pitch in front of the home fans. I was actually more nervous for my first road start (on June 27, at Danville). It was my first time starting professionally on the road and I wanted to do well."
He helped the P-Rays climb back into the 2011 Mercer Cup series with a quality start on July 2 in an afternoon game at Hunnicutt Field to keep the team in a position to finally outlast the Bluefield Blue Jays in a 3-2, 10-inning decision.
One thing about pitching in the minors is that you never stop learning. And under pitching coach Marty "Doggy" DeMerritt, Ian Kendall is learning from somebody who has been there before. DeMerritt was the pitching coach for the National League champion San Francisco Giants in 1989 and has the Major League pedigree young pitchers appreciate. "It was hard to get a read on him in extended (spring training)," Kendall said. "There were a lot of things about him I didn't know. But since I've gotten to Princeton, I've learned a lot from him. He likes to mess around and keep the locker room loose. But he knows more about the game than anyone I know. He has taught me a lot about the mental side of baseball."
While Kendall is a West Coast kid and his family hasn't been able to make it out to Princeton to see him pitch as of yet, the 19-year-old says his host family has helped tremendously in preventing homesickness.
"My host family is Craig Stout and Jane Garland," Kendall said, "He's the chapel leader for the P-Rays here. They are really nice people and have made the transition to Princeton a smooth one."
Ian Kendall is an open book and is not afraid to let you know how he feels about things. It might surprise some that the man who hit .478 with six home runs and 28 RBI as a high school junior and would have played third base for Oregon State on days he didn't pitch thinks that the National League should join the American League and adopt the designated hitter rule. Pitchers around the Appalachian League should feel relieved, though, that they don't have to step up to the plate against Kendall this year. A lot of hitters won't be able to say they had the same fortune.