The last several years have been a rough go for Richwood on the baseball diamond.
First year head coach Mike McKinney is hoping to bring that to an end.
“They just haven’t had much success here in a long time,” McKinney said. “When I got down there, the field hadn’t been dragged in three years. With everything that is going on, I just felt like it was the right time to take the job.”
McKinney is a 2002 graduate of Independence and played for legendary head coach Joe Goddard before playing at the University of Charleston.
Now working at the alternative school in Summersville, McKinney was made aware of the Richwood job from assistant principal Andrew Gilson.
Gilson is the son of another Independence legendary coach, Ed Gilson.
“We passed each other one day and he was telling me about the position being open and that they wanted to rebuild their program,” McKinney said. “I coached 18U and 16U travel baseball, but this is the youngest group I have ever been around.”
McKinney feels the poor success for the Lumberjacks over the years can be tied directly to the lack of feeder programs.
“There is no middle school and no senior league. So, that is another area we are trying to build,” McKinney said. “They stop playing when they are 12 years old and don’t pick it back up until there freshman year.”
The lack of play during those developmental years has led to struggles and an adjustment period for the players, as would be expected.
“Developing pitching has been tough, but it is really coming along. We have some kids now that can really throw it pretty good,” McKinney said. “About halfway through the season we we were struggling. I didn’t yell at them, but I got on them a little bit.”
“I asked them what was the disconnect and what was going on here. I told them I was with them more than I was with my family,” McKinney continued. “(Landen Hamon) said they never had anybody that cared before. Their baseball knowledge was also lacking. At first I thought they were just not paying attention, but they had no idea what I was talking about. Now we can actually have a baseball conversation.”
McKinney made a quick impact on his team in the off-season with a small gesture that spoke volumes.
“We don’t really have an indoor facility, it is a little Vo-Tech area,” McKinney said. “I asked them where their indoor mound was and they looked at me like I was crazy. I built them an indoor mound to throw off of and they thought that was the greatest thing ever.”
With only two seniors on the roster, the Lumberjacks are really young which has unfortunately has been a factor in some big innings for the opposition.
“Our scores don’t reflect our progress. We have been in every game, until about the fourth or fifth inning, then our maturity level shows,” McKinney said, “Thursday night we were up 6-3 against (Greenbrier) West, then we gave up eight runs with two outs. They are learning from it though. I have watched them turn this ship around and they are making progress. The excitement level is great.”
The first year coach also amped up the schedule for the Lumberjacks which took some of the Richwood faithful a little by surprise.
“I think last year they only played 12 or 13 games. We play a lot. I don’t think the parents were quite ready for that,” McKinney said. “I come from the Joe Goddard school of baseball and my dad who believe you have to play all the time. You play four or five times per week.”
Cooper Donahue and Dakota Sizemore have been strong leaders for the Lumberjacks this year.
“Dakota plays everything for me and plays anything I ask him to. He is one of the most coachable kids I have ever had,” McKinney said. “We say all the time to trust the process and Cooper really backs that. They are my team captains and great student athletes.”
Trae Trivolette is an imposing player at 6-foot-3 and is a player that McKinney has high hopes for going forward.
“Trae is kind of my project. He is a lefty and my first baseman, but he is a little stiff,” McKinney said. “We are hoping we can get that worked out of him. I catch him a lot and he has a natural break when he throws.”
Hamon and Tyler Barnhouse have also stood out for the Lumberjacks this season. Hamon is one of the hardest throwers on the team, while Barnhouse is described as a hard-nosed kid with speed to burn.
McKinney has also had help along the way to get the program heading in the right direction.
“(Richwood) is such a tight knit community. They accepted me and my family and brought us in like one of our own. It’s a really good atmosphere,” McKinney said. “The administration has been great and they all have been behind us. I have some guys that really help me out too. I am blessed to have them and they put in a lot of work. I don’t know much about field maintenance and they are out their working our field all the time.”
The Lumberjacks have compiled a 7-15 record this year which may not look impressive on the surface, but considering where they began the season, McKinney sees the season as a success.
“I love it. They are so young, but when I step back and look at the big picture, I am so proud of this team,” McKinney said. “Nobody ever thought we would have advanced this far. I saw that this team had potential and they just needed to play so they could mature. It is still not where we want to be, but we are getting better.”
Richwood opens Class A Region 3, Section 2 play Monday at Pocahontas County.