Next up in our Get to Know series is Senior pitcher
Kevin Haynes. A right-handed transfer from Sacramento State, Haynes has brought experience to the Cougar bullpen with 68 career appearances. This season, Haynes is fifth on the team in innings pitched (29.1) and appearances (13), while adding a win in four starts with the Cougs.
Coming from Sacramento State, why come to Washington State for your Senior year? Being a California guy, how has the transition to Pullman been?
The transition has been easy. One of the big reasons why I wanted to come to Washington State was the competitive environment and a bigger conference. A lot of people say that it is cold here, but with how long I want to pitch for I need to know how to pitch in the cold. I have been able to pitch in the heat for a long time now so being able to pitch in the cold was one of the main things for me and learning how to pitch in a different environment to make myself better.
Your two sisters, Maddi and Lexi (Lexi was a four-year member of the rowing team at Sacramento State (2015-18) and Maddie played volleyball for California (2016-19) and now plays professionally in Switzerland). How have those two impacted you and your athletic journey?
My middle sister Maddi since she is still playing sports professionally kind of motivates me the most. She always wanted to play at the next level, and seeing her work translate into success made me want to follow into her footsteps and do the same thing in baseball. My older sisters have been some people to look up to and it is kind of why I do it.
Kaden Wickersham, Carson Judd, and yourself have been three new guys added to the relief rotation. Can you talk about the relationship between you three and how that has grown this past year?
Judd and Wickersham have been key members of the pitching staff, and I think our whole pitching staff is super close which makes it nice. We spend pretty much every day together and it is definitely the closest pitching staff I have been a part of in my career. Everyone gets along and those two guys have definitely made things easier and make friends when I first got here being a transfer student.
How has your relationship with Head Coach Nathan Choate been, and how have you been able to communicate with each other to find success on the mound this season?
Our relationship has been good. I really like a lot of the stuff that he preaches from the pitching side and the team side. I feel like it helps everyone that is a part of the team. Being able to stick to a goal and stick together as a team has been a reason why we have been able to have some success this season and against some good teams. I would say our relationship has been great.
As a Freshman in high school you played one year of water polo. How was that experience and do you think it has helped you in your baseball development?
I would say it helped physically with the arm and it really wasn't something that I really wanted to do. It was kind of something that I got thrown into because of the carpool I was in with some friends, and they were all playing water polo. I did it, and I ended up liking it. It was very hard, but I would say that it made me a better person and a better athlete at the end of the day.
Who was your favorite baseball player to watch growing up?
Tim Lincecum, as he was the one who got me into pitching. Being able to see him pitch and see how dominating he was on the mound was something to look up to as a pitcher growing up. Him also being a Giants player close to home made him a good guy to watch.
What are some personal goals, and team goals for the rest of the season?
Personally, I just want to be more consistent in whatever role I am given and whatever time I am in the game. Being able to be consistent in getting outs and minimizing damage and runs. Team wise, being able to be the toughest team. If we play the type of baseball that we train to play then we can win any game when we step on that field.
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