Paul Kinnison is a student-athlete at WHS who excels both on the baseball field as a pitcher and has had a great start to the 2024 season. He also is a great student in the classroom, maintaining a 3.5 GPA. Kinnison is known to be one of the hardest working athletes in the program and knows what it takes to be successful as an athlete. He has received the opportunity to play college baseball, as he has committed to continue his academic and athletic career at Madonna University. He is looking forward to the opportunity to play collegiate baseball, and he looks to make the most of his opportunity. Here are 10 questions with Kinnison, who any student-athlete should take notes on.

In what ways do you manage to balance your success on and off the field?

It’s always preparation, I would create a plan or a list to check off the steps I need to complete in order to succeed, this is for completing assignments, warm-up routines, and executing pitches on the mound.

Explain the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far as a student-athlete.

One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced so far is managing my social life outside of school and sports. It’s very limited that I have that to connect with others outside of my team, and this has caused friendships as well as relationships to end. 

What do you do to put in extra work outside of practice to prepare you for the next level?

I’ve watched so many videos online about pitching machines, routines and situations that I believe my knowledge and preparation of the game will take me a long way. I know that I still have a lot to learn though and that’s one of the reasons why I still play baseball.

Explain why you picked Madonna University as opposed to other schools.

With Madonna, it felt like the school was the best fit for me because of its small class sizes and opportunities on the mound. Out of all the colleges I looked at, I believe Madonna is going to help me develop not only as a pitcher but as a person overall.

How do you work to maintain the grades that you do in the classroom? 

It’s always a competition in the classroom, not with my classmates but my sisters. I want to say that I have better grades than them and it helps me stay focused on school work.

Explain any superstitions that you have before a big game.

Before a big game, I’ll always listen to a playlist that will calm me down, but at the end, I’ll always listen to “Eyes Without a Face” by Billy Idol. 

What do you most look forward to about playing collegiate baseball?

I can’t wait to compete and continue progressing my talents to a different level that I know I can keep up with. It’s more of my time going to the game that I love.

What dreams and aspirations do you have beyond college baseball?

I can’t lie, I want to see how far I can take baseball if that’s pitching, coaching, or working at the highest level I can.

How do you keep yourself motivated to work hard even in times that are challenging?

I wouldn’t forgive myself if I quit when the work was hard, I would keep asking myself “What if I did more” if I did quit. It’s a nightmare that I’m not going to let myself live. 

What advice would you give to a student-athlete looking to play at the next level?

Don’t put pressure on yourself that’s not even there, you’re there for a reason and if you trust your process you’ll grow on your own time, everyone changes at different times.