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HAMILTON — Brett McKinney's season almost ended before it ever began.

While lifting weights in early March, the Badin junior smashed his right index finger between two dumbbells.

"Right there I pretty much thought my season was done when I looked down and saw a whole bunch of nastiness coming out of my finger," McKinney recalled.

But his season was far from done. Although he didn't throw for nearly a month, McKinney overcame the late start to post a 9-2 record with a county-high 75 strikeouts and a 1.87 ERA while leading Badin to the Division III state championship game.

And for that performance, McKinney has been named the JournalNews Butler County Baseball Pitcher of the Year.

"The only game he was off was the Moeller game (a 10-0 loss)," Rams coach Rick Kunkel said. "But they went to the final four in Division I and it was early in the season and he wasn't totally recovered from the finger injury. Other than that, he was great all year."

Even on days when he wasn't scheduled to pitch, McKinney was trying to get his hands on the ball.

"In close games he's always telling (pitching coach/father Chuck McKinney) and me, 'Let me go in and I'll shut them down,' " Kunkel said. "He's not afraid to pitch to anybody. Against Springboro he wanted to pitch against that kid (Mike Kindel) that's going to Kansas State, and he said he thought about walking someone or hitting someone just to get to him."

He didn't, of course. Instead, McKinney struck out all five batters he faced to preserve a

5-3 win for one of his two saves on the season.

"He's more mature than most juniors," Kunkel said. "Plus his old man is just a tremendous pitching coach, so that helps, too."

The 8-0 loss to Canton Central Catholic in the state championship game was tough to take, but McKinney said he has nothing but great memories from the 2008 season.

"It was one of the best experiences of my life, just getting there," he said. "Of course we would've liked to have won that last game, but things don't always work out. That just gives us more fire for next year."

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2193 or jmorrison@coxohio.com.

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> Top position player | All-Area team | 2008 stats