K’S FOR KENNEDY: Troy High’s Mike Kennedy hits major milestone in Summer of 2021; representing Team USA

TROY, NY – It comes as no surprise that Troy’s Mike Kennedy spent his summer playing baseball, but there was some uncertainty as to whether he’d get to play for the team he was trying out for – Team USA.

“It was one of the most nervous moments of my life,” Kennedy said, a left-handed pitcher. “It’s something I’ve always dreamed about and during the trials you never really know if you made it or not.”

The selection process for the 18U national team began with the PDP (Prospect Development Pipeline) League, with players divided into teams and scheduled for try-out games in Florida, beginning in late July.

“Those are the top 96 guys in the country,” Kennedy explained. “You go there and you play games, in a similar format as a try-out, from there they choose the top 46, which is what they call USA Trials. That’s basically the second tryout, or second cut. So after the 46, they have a selection night.”

During the USA Trials, the remaining 46 players were divided into two teams, Stars and Stripes. A member of the Stars, Kennedy earned his way onto the USA roster, which went on to play seven games against Canada, with the US going 5-1-1.

“Just being in the room and hearing your name called, that you’re on the 18U national team, it’s definitely something that I’ll never forget,” Kennedy said, who got to wear his number, #13. “We were in the selection room and they had us leave for a bit. When we came back into the room we saw all the jerseys laid out. It was one of those times where it feels like everything that you’ve done has been worth it. All the workouts, all the eating the right things, it really made it all seem like all the hard work paid off.”

I can’t say thank you enough to all of the @USABaseball18U @USABaseball staff and family for allowing me to represent our great country this past week. It was truly an experience of a lifetime that I will always cherish. #ForGlory🇺🇸 #JoeAllenJoke #ToastedMango pic.twitter.com/rE7YWv1ImW

— Michael Kennedy (@mike_kennedy31) September 10, 2021

The LSU commit is currently a senior at Troy High School but his experiences over the summer allowed him to get connected with some of his future Tiger teammates.

“I want to say there were three or four future LSU teammates on the national team and during Trials, there were around ten. We’re all over the place. The whole summer I got to meet and play with a lot of them, building up a lot of chemistry,” he said. “We can always connect with social media, but meeting them in person, getting to play with them and start to understand what type of guy they are, what type of teammate they are, what they do to get better, you’re getting a head start for when you get to campus and that’s a huge advantage given how many LSU commits were going to these events.”

Kennedy committed to LSU in the summer of 2019, the summer after his freshman year, giving him plenty of time to pursue other opportunities within the game.

“It was a huge factor, finally being done with the process and comfortable with my decision. You don’t have to have a schedule of what coaches you’re going to call. You had a literal schedule at one point, you had no idea, you had to go see the schools and do all this different stuff, finally getting it over with, I was finally able to focus on the other events I was interested in and towards Team USA,” he said. “There’s less pressure on you because there’s less going on in your head, you’re just playing the game that you love.”

“I was communicating with LSU for almost a year before I committed and I just knew I was comfortable with the offer and it was exactly what I wanted. Even though it was early, I took my time with it to look at all the schools I was interested in, so that when I made the decision I could relax after.”

A member of the Flying Horses since his freshman year, Kennedy is preparing for one final season in high school and one final season with the bat.

“I think I’m going to be a pitcher only, but I’m going to enjoy my senior year hitting. After that I’m gonna put the bat down and focus on pitching. If I were to face myself, I don’t know how confident I’d be.”

He’ll attempt to add to his list of achievements, including multiple no-hitters and a Section 2, Class A championship.

While he’s accomplished a lot, there’s a lot still left to do and while Kennedy points to the goals of winning another championship and advancing through the state tournament, the MLB Draft looms for the six-foot-one southpaw.

“For me, when I’m done with baseball, I just want to know that I gave it my all. Whether I make it to Cooperstown or I never make it to the big leagues or get drafted, I just want to know I gave it my all, but I have to say I want to pitch in the big leagues. Pitch in the big leagues and stay in big leagues.”