Interview with Brittany McKinney, freshman, UNC

I've had requests to do an interview with a freshman player in a D1 program, and Brittany has accepted this request.

This will be a two part interview, with the second interview coming after the spring season has completed.

TBR members, let me introduce Brittany McKinney, freshman catcher, UNC softball team.

CHEEZE: Brittany, tell us something about yourself, including your accomplishments prior to college:

BRITTANY: My name is Brittany McKinney, daughter of Ben McKinney, I'm 19 years old, a freshman at UNC and these are some of the things I've managed to accomplish in my pre-college career:

College: UNC
Travel Team, 04-07, Carolina Cardinals, coached by Ray Chandler, 2006 ASA National Champions as their catcher.
High School: West Forsyth
Freshman (2004) - All Conference, Defensive Player of the Year, Finished 3rd in the State Playoffs.
Sophomore (2005) - All Conference, All State, Offensive Player of the Year, came in 2nd in the State Playoffs.
Junior (2006) - All Conference, All State, Most Valuable Player.
Senior (2007) - All Conference, All State, Most Valuable Player.

I also set the career and single season homerun records at West Forsyth.

CHEEZE: Awesome set of stats and quite a great list of accomplishments for you. Brittany, congratulations on your becoming a member of the UNC softball team. Could you start by telling us how you went about getting recruited by UNC ?

BRITTANY: The recruiting process was probably the most stressful in my life, but it was also one of the most fun parts of my sophomore and junior year. The coaches at Carolina saw me playing on the Carolina Cardinals. I never attended a clinic at Carolina, but I was always interested in the school. So, when I saw that the coaches were interested, I followed up with everything they sent me as far as literature and applications. My first contact with the coaches was through mail, and then e-mail, and after July 1, 2006 our first official contact was made (NCAA rules say that coaches cannot make official contact with potential recruits until July 1 of their Junior Year). Once contact was made, we set up an unofficial visit. I loved everything about the school and the softball program. After my unofficial visit to Carolina, I was able to decrease my list of potential colleges because it is hard to find a school that offered as much to me as they did. A couple of weeks after my unofficial visit to UNC, I made my verbal commitment. I still took my official visit and when the early signing time came, I signed my National Letter of Intent to UNC.

I owe tons of credit to Coach Ray Chandler to allow me to play for his team, the Carolina Cardinals, because without the exposure he was able to give me, it would have been much harder to be seen by the coaches at UNC.

CHEEZE: Brittany, tell us about how conditioning and practice went for the fall at UNC, in comparision to HS or Travel ball practice.

BRITTANY: The conditioning part of playing any college sport is a huge part of your commitment. I learned not only do I have to commit time on the field, but as well as in the weight room and on the track and running stadiums and hills and 300 yard shuttles, etc, etc. brutal stuff. Our strength and conditioning coach is just as much a part of our on the field coaches. During the fall, we would have 6:45 conditioning, and as a freshman, I would have to get there around 6:15 to be able to set up. ( I learned if you were early, your were on time, but if you were on time, your were late!!!). By the time conditioning is over, my legs would feel like jello. The difference between high school and college is that our conditioning coach will push your further than you ever thought possible!! Once you think you can't run another step, you somehow find a way to make it to the end of conditioning.

Practice this fall was nothing like any other practice I had ever been a part of. There was never any point during practice when you were standing still!! Everything we did, we treated like a game situation. Every ball that was hit, a player would be diving for, every close play our players would be sliding or diving in head first to beat the throw. We practice like we are going to play...There is never a light moment in practice.

CHEEZE: Finally, Brittany, tell us about your experience on the field this fall (how'd it go for you?):

BRITTANY: I realized not only from practice, but from my first game that the game in college is so much faster. You have less time to react to each play, a half second hesitation and the other team has already beaten your throw. In college, you must be able to react to each situation and each play without any hesitation. As a whole, the fall went well for me, and I cannot wait for the spring season to begin!!!!!!!!!

Stepping on the field with a Carolina uniform was probably one of the best feelings ever in my life. But it has talken lots of work and temendous amounts of commitment to come this far (along with help from coaches and other players), and I know that it will take even more commitment to reach my potential as a college softball player.

CHEEZE: Thanks Brittany, I will come back and get together with you after the spring season and lets see how your views about college ball are then. Meanwhile, I personally wish you luck this year, and I know you can do it girl, I've been watching your since our first meeting (Carolina Fear/Carolina Stars) and I knew you had it then......Again, good luck and thanks for taking the time to share this with other potential players.

 

I enjoyed doing this interview with Brittany, great young lady. I was amazed by a few things, the intensity in discussing her role in UNC softball, the respect for the coaches and the program and she totally loves the college softball experience. Her coaches were at this clinic and you could tell the respect was mutual on both accounts. This girl is buffed up!!! Brittany has always been a catcher above most catchers, but with the conditioning/training she's been through, i bet her throws are a heck of a lot faster now. i hope to catch a few UNC games this spring, and encourage some of you young ladies to venture there also. We wanted to truely try to represent the freshman experience at a major college from a players aspect and will complete this interview when Brittany is done for the season.

 

Agree, no truer line ever spoken

 

agree Homer3, my dd hated to pitch to brittany, at 13yrs old, she was capable of reading the spin on the ball and waited for the pitch she wanted. great kid....