Hitting on All Cylindars
By Ira Hertzoff, PC Sports Information Director

Bryan Kinneberg defines what a student-athlete is meant to be. The Philosophy major sports a 3.36 grade point aberage in the classroom and a .331 batting average for the Bears baseball program. This combination of high averages in all of the right places is perfect for the former Centennial High star to be getting recruited by some of the elite NCAA Division I programs. Schools like Georgia, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, and many others have been trying to secure Kinneberg for their programs.

Kinneberg and his Phoenix College teammates are in a unique situation this year as they are in a playoff race. In past seasons, Phoenix was the only Division II member in the ACCAC. But, this season there are four teams in the division fighting for two playoff spots. The Bears find themselves right in the thick of things as they are one game out of the playoffs at the time of this writing.

Another new thing the Bears had to deal with this season was a new coach. Ryan Reynolds, who was an assistant last season, took over the reigns from Mike Poplin.

Kinneberg summed up the changes between the coaches. "Coach Reynolds is a lot younger and a little more laid back the coach Poplin. Coach Poplin ran the club like a major league club with everything organized to the letter, however with coach Reynolds, there is more one-on-one coaching. He caters to the players more."

The Bears, along with the rest of the ACCAC (Arizona Community College Athletic Conference), had to learn to hit with wood bats this season as opposed to the metal bats used in the past.

"The biggest difference in hitting with a wood bat is the focus you take to the plate," said Kinneberg. "You have to earn every hit. With the metal bats, your mechanics could break down but the metal would pick up the slack

Kinneberg said his choice to come to Phoenix was an easy one. "I have known Coach Reynolds since I was 14 and it seemed like a real comfortable place to play and it has a great campus. I knew that Phoenix was one of the top Academic Junior Colleges in America."

As Kinneberg's Phoenix career winds down, he will take with him the thrill of playing in the JUCO World Series. "It was a great thrill playing for the National Title. We didn't win it, but I met so many great people with different personalities."