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T _â€"______ Ne e ie : L Marty Kernaghan was shortstop of Canadian Champs , oK ollowing is a reprint of an . this sport, but not any more. The 4 j ily involved at the _ to win the championships. _ | Interview conducted by Ohio sports. hitters have finally caught up to national level. What accounts for his success reporter Jeff Murphey that features the pitchers." And Kernaghan i Kernaghan has . as a hitter? "I really cannot single \| Grafton native Marty Kernaghan â€" feels the change is good for the played for a out one thing that makes me a sucâ€" (\) of th'e Alberta Brake and Clutch _ sport, especially for the fans. Pss P number of teams cessful hitter, Kernaghan says. ~>. men‘s fastball team operating out "The crowds really like the $Ud c h â€" the Camrose "But I do play in a great league â€". ~Of Calgary. The interview was . offense. They deserve to see the Ja Alberta _Merâ€" with great pitching, which has _ t republished in the Cobourg Daily â€" other side of the game. True, it can dls chants, <« Dome . made me a better hitter. I would 2> Star April 21, 1986, be very exciting watching a pitchâ€" v Petroleum â€" of love to talk with Brian Rothrock % t ‘ ers‘ duel, but this really doesn‘t ) f Calgary (with about hitting to get some idea on 3 ;:386" Anyone familiar with . bring out the athletes these hitters £. whom he does how he approaches the game." professional baseball knows that . are. The best hitters are great athâ€" P uks exploration In fact, Rothrock, who plays for «© _: this batting average is a plateau â€" letes and the fans should see this ,;f\,: . & y | work for a livâ€" Decatur ADM, is Kernaghan‘s perâ€" I very few hitters have everâ€" side of the game, too." M Bs w# | _ ing), the Oshawa â€" sonal choice for best hitter in the | reached. But when one realizes For this reason, Kernaghan is is CC# ol ] Tonys, and now â€" game. "I am a personal fan of his. that this batting average was upset with the new stepâ€"back rule, ; Nes “;" 1 for Alberta â€" He has all the tools and nobody achieved in a sport where pitchers | which he believes will only give h mn.. ts Brake and ‘else in the sport can dominate a y throw rise~, dropâ€", and fastballs at pitchers a greater advantage over P tifing . U JC 1 u_ t c h .. gameas he does." 3 speeds approaching 100 mph from _ hitters. E | * teugen» | Although he _ . Kernaghan considers himself to a distance of 46 feet, then the Despite the rule change, Marty es enc | â€"plays shortstop â€" be strictly a pull hitter, but says _ statistic becomes even more amazâ€" Kernaghan remains one.of the l s P ,% | with his current that Rockrock‘s biggest assets are & _ Ing. Combine the .386 batting averâ€" . sport‘s top hitters. Playing for : S NE ‘3\ | team, Kerâ€" his ability to hit the opposite field y _ age with 26 home runs and 87â€" Alberta Brake and Clutch, he won i s " d | naghan began and his low strikeoutâ€"toâ€"atâ€"bat is RBI‘s and one can readily underâ€" _ Most Valuable Player honours at % Baat t playing fastpitch . ratio. Although hitting over .380 "o stand why 27â€"yearâ€"old Marty Kerâ€" â€" the 1985 ISC World Tournament, Bs m | as gmtcher. last year, Kernaghan believes that \__". naghan is considered as one of the . an award he is most proud of. Wls : 13 ‘I got started . cutting down on his strikeouts (he ::- elite hitters in the world of fastâ€" "The ISC World Tournament ) > 7 | playing pitcher, had 23 in over 85 games last year) pitch softball. > assembles the best group of fastâ€" Tw it i ~pliie | <as a backup to . is his biggest goal in the upcoming © Fastpitch softball, as Kerâ€" pitch ball players in the entire 4 ~P | j Peter _ Brown year, . E naghan describes it, is a contact world. To be recognized as MVP Py f while I was playâ€" «_ . With the attitudes "contact is sport. But he is not referring to for such a great tournament was F e mt wb & ) ing with Camâ€", everything" and "why should physical contact as in hockey or â€" quite an honour." mad . ‘!{,}fi ol c ig | d s ::n,,h,,fl rose. 1 â€"also someone strike.out?" it stands to E football. Instead, he is alluding to _ It was an honour he richly [Wy W W o. S e ind (played centre: "getting the bat on the ball," an deserved. In just seven games, [UW/ PE se % We field that year, oroooorenrernn en O _ asfignment that is difficult when | Kernaghan led his Calgary team to | w J _ = but then played | ‘wo____â€" s s % ‘algt| C _ pitchers like Peter Meredith areâ€" a third place finish by hitting i e shortstop the i tss ”"‘“Tfm}&'&fi? z throwing at speeds upwards of 100 â€" three home runs and driving in 10 y next year," he |. | _ d éfi’;};:ifi_ J _ mph from only 46 feet away. Forâ€" â€" runs, while batting .321 (8 for 21). recalls. Having e f%fwi‘”?g _ | get that the 12â€"inch ball is three In fact, with one game remaining â€" Tye imrensity OF A WINNER â€" Marty Kernaghan was a 4180 played |_@ / 3 ‘gé;‘:»fi‘i? \ inches bigger than a baseball; the he was one HR and one RBI from . highlyâ€"talented infielder with the will to win. shortstop in ~â€" Aes p: h/:wq C °_ pitcher is 14 feet closer and the . tying the record in each category. . _ j ~ _ Puotocoumeors Daseball, shortâ€" ~~ tlikks,. â€" o G?g ‘\) pitch is traveling faster than a Only a wildly thrown pitch and y f M 8 stop appears to m im . > major league pitch when it crosses his team‘s poor performance kept an outstanding tournament both . bechis most comfortable position. . Wce * the plate. Add to this the confusion â€" him from tying the records. individually and as part of Alberta "Treally don‘t have a ‘natural‘ ; â€" _ mt s _ of not knowing whether the ball In the first inning Marty was Brake and Clutch‘s third place fin~ position, but I feel most.comfort |a. _ _ Mager F i. . will drop a foot or rise two just as struck in the midâ€"section by ish. According to Kernaghan, his . able playing shortstop," Kerâ€" | _ . W es . . the pitch reaches the plate, and. Decatur pitcher Brent Stevenson. . team‘s finish ranks among the top * naghan remarks. l WR Ry e + one has a good understanding of His second trip to the plate three thrills in his career. i Marty Kernaghan is also comâ€" \| 1 _ M o y s ; what Marty Kernaghan means resulted in a ground out and his "It rates right up there with | fortable at the plate. He combines || _ â€"_ OJ e im ""d when he says the game is a contact third at bat never came as the . Winning the gold medal at the Pan _ excellent contact with good power, gé’ hi a a k 27e sport. game was called after 4 1/2 innings â€" American Games in 1983 and winâ€" . and is at his best with runners in A uit ts ts i "Contact is the thing in fastâ€" â€" with Decatur leading 8â€"0. ning the Canadian Nationals last ~scoring position during a tight, @ WO Wl °0| pitch softball. Just getting a bat on Kernaghan recalls, "At the time . Year. f pressureâ€"packed game. P e o i the ball will give a batter a better I wasn‘t even looking at breaking _ Marty Kernaghan got his start Witness his performance at the Marty Kernaghan chance of getting a hit," claims the records. Our team was getting in fastpitch softball at age nine, finals of the Canadian Nationals Kernaghan. beaten very badly and all that my â€" Playing three years in "Squirt" a â€" last year against Dorchester. With â€" reason why Kernaghan rarely goes Contact. Something a hitter â€"teammates and I were concerned â€" Youth division in Canada. For the both pitchers in command of a â€" through a batting slump and is rarely makes against the great â€" about was getting off the diamond. next seven years he played baseâ€" seoreless game, and a couple of. considered a "tough out" by opposâ€" -{;itchers. But Kernaghan believes â€" It wasn‘t until later when I felt disâ€" b?H, until t_he opportunities to conâ€" ‘men on base, Kernaghan hit a ing pitchers. Nevertheless, there that the pitchers‘ domination of appointed about not getting a betâ€" tinue playing in that sport dwinâ€" â€" sixth inning Bill Lunney inside _ are still some pitchers and pitches the sport no longer exists. ter chance to break the records." . . dled. Then he made the jump back ~corner dropball over 350 feet to which give him trouble. While "Pitchers used to dominate in Nevertheless, Kernaghan had . to fastpitch softball, thereafter â€" enable Alberta Brake and Clutch â€" leaving the troublesome pitches _becoming heavâ€" nameless, Kernaghan has great