Kevin Ginkel: From Southwestern College to MLB World Series
Arizona Diamondback pitcher Kevin Ginkel, a former Southwestern College baseball standout,
helped put the finishing touches on Game 7 of the National League Championship Series.
For the first time in 22 years and the second time in franchise history, the upstart Arizona Diamondbacks are NL pennant winners and will take on the Texas Rangers in the World Series starting on Friday. The Diamondbacks, who at 84-78 slipped into the postseason as the final NL wild card, swept both the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers. Down 0-2 in the NLCS, the D-backs won Games 6 and 7 in Philadelphia, where the Phillies had been 12-2 over the past two postseasons, including 11-0 in NL playoff games.
Diamondbacks right-handed reliever Kevin Ginkel (Southwestern College) and the Arizona bullpen kept the Phillies scoreless for the final five innings and eliminated the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 7 of the NL Championship Series on Tuesday night (ARI 4, PHI 2). Kevin Ginkel (1 2⁄3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 3 K), a key bullpen arm for Arizona, entered the game in the seventh inning with the game tying runs on base to retire superstars Trea Turner and Bryce Harper and subdue Philadelphia's last threatening scoring chance. Ginkel then struck out all three batters in the eighth for good measure. This postseason, the D-backs setup man has not allowed a run in eight appearances. What stands out is his vertical power pitch profile of a four-seam fastball and monster slider.
A San Diego native, Ginkel attended El Capitan High School in Lakeside, California. He was overlooked and not offered a Division I scholarship as a prospective student-athlete; therefore, Ginkel opted to play college baseball at Southwestern College. In committing to Southwestern College, he considered the importance of having consistent pitching opportunities to continue to develop his overall performance, velocity, command, movement, control, and repertoire. "If I went to a four-year right away and tried to walk on," he shared, "I don't know if I would have had the opportunities. So, I think it allowed me to develop in my own time and not feel rushed or anything. I think community college was the best approach for me to kind of just figure myself out. My time at SWC allowed me to grow and mature mentally and physically. I walked onto the campus weighing 185 pounds and transferred to the University of Arizona at 210 pounds. My experience at SWC was so great and I'm still friends with teammates, coaches and people who work at the school as well. Our teams had a lot of success as well making the playoffs both years in 2014 and 2015."
Jay Martel, Head Coach of the storied SWC baseball program stated, "that most people who have success share one thing in common, hard work. This work includes the weight room, conditioning, skill work and in the classroom. Kevin had the mindset of doing whatever it takes to get the job done. Kevin would bring energy and passion every day to the baseball field. It's awesome to see all this hard work has paid off."
Ginkel, a two-time Pacific Coast All-Conference Team member was drafted by both the San Francisco Giants (2014) and Boston Red Sox (2015). But he elected not to sign with either team, instead returning to SWC. He subsequently transferred to the University of Arizona, was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in Round 22 of the 2016 MLB Draft, and made his big-league debut in 2019
The Diamondbacks and Kevin Ginkel are on baseball's biggest stage. The World Series will be broadcast on Fox and Fox Deportes, with first pitch for all games set at 8:03 p.m. ET.
WORLD SERIES SCHEDULE
Game 1: Friday, Oct. 27 at Texas, 8:03 p.m. ET
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 28 at Texas, 8:03 p.m. ET
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 30 at Arizona, 8:03 p.m. ET
Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 31 at Arizona, 8:03 p.m. ET
Game 5: Wednesday, Nov. 1 at Arizona, 8:03 p.m. ET (if necessary)
Game 6: Friday, Nov. 3 at Texas, 8:03 p.m. ET (if necessary)
Game 7: Saturday, Nov. 4 at Texas, 8:03 p.m. ET (if necessary)