Washington State University Athletics

One of the finest baseball players ever to pass through Washington State, Mike Kinkade left an indelible mark on the history of Cougar baseball during his time. Recruited by and playing his first three seasons under the legendary Bobo Brayton, Kinkade set WSU records for career hits (304), runs (230) and doubles (75) during his career. Starting 224 of 228 games, he also finished second on WSU’s all-time lists for games played (228), RBI (197) and at-bats (844), third in triples (12) and walks (125), fifth in batting average (.360) and eighth in home runs (25). For the three-time team captain, his junior season was arguably his finest as he earned All-America second-team honors by National Collegiate Baseball Writers and third-team honors by both Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America after hitting a career-best .388, with 90 hits, a school and Pac-10 North-record 31 doubles, nine home runs and 61 RBI. He was a three-time All-Pac-10 Northern Division First-Team selection, twice as a DH (1993, 1994) and as a catcher (1995), before being drafted in the ninth round of the 1995 MLB June Amateur Draft. Kinkade played six major league seasons, parts of three with the New York Mets, two with the Los Angeles Dodgers and two with the Baltimore Orioles, finishing with a career batting average of .256 with 100 hits, 20 doubles and 10 home runs. He also earned a Gold Medal as a member of the U.S. Olympic Team at the 2000 Sydney Games.