Kennedy Kay posing on media day. Kay tore her meniscus in the summer of 2022. Credit: Ohio State Athletics
When Kennedy Kay tore her meniscus in the summer of 2022, just before her freshman year at Ohio State, she knew her college experience would be different.
That realization was confirmed when the injury led to two more surgeries — and eventually pitching with a torn ACL.
Kay credits those injuries with shaping her into the person she is today. They helped her develop a focus on mental health and emotional control that has allowed her to keep playing the game she loves and changed the way she approaches it.
“It has shaped me to be a better person on and off the field,” Kay said.
After recovering from her initial meniscus tear before her freshman season, Kay tore it again and underwent a second surgery later that year. She pitched her entire sophomore season and the start of her junior year before tearing her meniscus for a third time — along with her ACL.
As frustrating as the injuries were, Kay said those moments led to the most growth, both personally and as a pitcher.
“Falling and being at the lowest of my life off the field helped change my mindset into pitching,” Kay said. “When I’m down in the dumps in a game, I look back and think it could be a lot worse.”
During her recovery and time away from the field, Kay said she found peace and perspective through a renewed focus on mental health. She credited the growing emphasis on mental health among college athletes as an important part of her journey in coming back to the game in a better place.
“Mental health in college sports is really big right now,” Kay said. “As bad as the injuries were, they helped me grow up really fast and change how I approached the game.”
Now back in the circle for the Buckeyes while still pitching with a torn ACL, Kay’s preparation looks different from a typical training plan. To avoid putting too much stress on her knee, she and the team’s trainers have individualized parts of her workouts.
“I haven’t run in a while, just because there’s no point,” Kay said. “I can get conditioning in other ways without hurting my body.”
Brian Wells, an assistant strength and conditioning coach for Ohio State athletics, said the staff has adapted her conditioning plan.
“With the help of our athletic trainer, Jamie, we utilize the underwater treadmill and anti-gravity treadmill to limit that impact from running,” Wells said.
Wells also highlighted Kay’s perseverance and work ethic.
“Kennedy has had a great mindset and work ethic since day one of working with her,” Wells said. “No matter the setbacks, bumps in the road or hitches in the training plan, she finds a way to keep pushing herself and her teammates.”
As a fifth-year player, Kay has stepped into a leadership role, using her experiences to provide perspective for her teammates.
“It’s about staying levelheaded,” Kay said. “I may be this big, bad fifth-year, but I’m never going to yell at you. This game is a sport of failure.”
She said that as a pitcher, maintaining that steadiness is especially important in critical moments, when teammates look to her for security.
“Everyone looks at you in the middle of the field when things go good or bad,” Kay said. “You have to create an environment where everyone is even-keeled, because that is what helps the team.”
With her primary goal centered on helping the team win games, Kay said she is also focused on maintaining the right mindset in her final collegiate season.
“My goals are personal. I want to stay more even-keeled in the game,” Kay said.
