Kaylin Kinney Season 2021

Honors & Awards

• Team Captain (2024)
• Big Ten Player of the Week (May 4, 2021)
• Academic All-District (2024)
• Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2024)
• Academic All-Big Ten (2022, 2023, 2024)
• Nebraska Gold Academic Medallion (2023)
• Nebraska Silver Academic Medallion (2022) 
• Eight-Time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll Member
• Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)

Senior Season (2024) 
PITCHING

• Served as one of four team captains
• Went 16-14 with four saves in a career-higih 148.2 innings
• Tied for the Big Ten lead in saves (4)
• Ranked 2nd in the Big Ten in appearances (38)
• Led NU in appearances, wins, saves, complete games, shutouts, innings and strikeouts
• Ranked 2nd in starts (19)
• Earned the win or save in 20 of Nebraska’s 30 victories
• Earned the win vs. Long Beach State with 4.0 shutout innings of 2-hit relief
• Earned the win the next day with 3.1 innings of no-hit relief vs. Utah Valley
• Got the save with 3.0 innings of no-hit relief against Sacramento State
• Tossed 3.1 innings of two-hit, shutout relief in the win over No. 23 Oregon
• Threw her first career 7.0-inning complete game against South Alabama
• Got the win and allowed only one run against the Jaguars
• Earned the win with 1.0 scoreless inning vs. Northern Colorado on March 14
• Earned another win against the Bears with 4.1 innings of relief on March 17
• Tossed a five-inning complete-game victory in game two against Illinois
• Went 2-0 with one save in Nebraska’s three-game sweep at Wisconsin
• Posted a 0.54 ERA in 13.0 innings against the Badgers
• Got the win in game one with 4.0 innings of one-hit, shutout relief
• Picked up the save in game two with 3.0 scoreless innings of relief
• Earned the win in game three, allowing one earned run in 6.0 innings
• Started and went the first 4.0 innings then re-entered for the final 2.0 innings
• Earned the save against Kansas with 2.2 innings of one-hit, shutout relief
• Allowed only two runs in a complete game in game one vs. Penn State
• Earned the save in game two of the series
• Tossed a career-high 9.1 innings in game three against Penn State
• Earned the win in game two of the Rutgers series after throwing 6.0 innings
• Lost game one at Michigan but allowed just two runs in 5.0 relief innings
• Marked the first extra-inning shutout by a Husker pitcher since 2012

HITTING

• Battled injuries but was in the starting batting order eight times
• Went 1-for-3 with an RBI against Long Beach State
• Had a single in her lone at bat against San Diego State
• Drew a walk in three plate appearances against No. 14 Missouri
• Went 4-for-6 in a pair of games on March 12
• Went 2-for-3 against Northern Colorado
• Went 2-for-3 with a run against Maine
• Was 1-for-3 with a run against Northern Colorado on March 14
• Marked her third consecutive game with a hit

Junior Season (2023) 
PITCHING

• Season ended early due to a hand injury 
• Started three games and appeared in the circle seven times 
• Held a 1-1 record with a 0.84 ERA 
• Pitched the complete game against South Dakota State 
• Appeared in the circle against No. 8 Virginia Tech and No. 4 Arkansas at the TaxAct Clearwater Invitational 
• Earned the win over New Mexico (Feb. 25) after pitching the complete game, striking out eight and holding the Lobos scoreless 
• Recorded the save in the win over New Mexico (Feb. 26) after pitching 3.0 innings, holding the Lobos to four hits and no runs 

Sophomore Season (2022)
PITCHING

• Started six games and made 21 appearances in the circle
• Finished the season with a 4-1 record 
• Pitched her first complete-game shutout in game three against Rutgers 
• Claimed the win in game three of the Michigan State series 
• Earned the win in game three against Wisconsin, pitching 5.0 innings, striking out three and holding the Badgers to two hits 
• Pitched the complete-game shutout in game two against Minnesota, striking out three and holding the Gophers to three hits
• Pitched 6.0 innings at the Michigan State series, finishing 1-0
• Appeared in game two against No. 7 Oklahoma State at the NCAA Regionals as relief 

HITTING

• Made 22 starts as the designated player 
• Finished the season with 16 hits including four doubles and four home runs 
• Added two homers in the win against Wichita State including a grand slam 
• Was 3-for-6 with 10 RBIs in the home opening weekend against South Dakota State and Wichita State 
• Hit .667 going 2-for-3 with one homer and four RBIs in the Rutgers series 
• Added two hits including a double and a home run with two RBIs at the Ohio State series 
• Recorded one hit and one run against Penn State at the Big Ten Tournament 
• Added one hit and one run against Ohio State at the Big Ten Tournament 

Freshman Season (2021)

PITCHING

• Pitched 2.0 innings against Iowa, striking out one and giving up one hit and one run 
• Tied for the team lead and ranks 7th in the Big Ten with two saves
• Posted a 1.17 ERA with two saves over 6.0 innings in the opening weekend
• Made her career debut by pitching a perfect seventh inning and earning the save in the game two win against Indiana
• Earned another save the next game vs. Michigan State, allowing one run on three hits in 3.0 innings
• Rounded out the opening week with 2.0 scoreless innings vs. Ohio State
• Made her first career start against No. 23 Michigan allowing one run on two hits in 1.1 innings
• Tossed a career-best 4.1 innings in game two against Purdue, allowing three runs
• Threw a scoreless inning of relief in game one of the Illinois series
• Started at No. 24 Minnesota and went a career-long 4.0 innings
• Earned her first career victory - on her birthday - in game one of the Wisconsin doubleheader
• Threw a career-high 5.2 innings to earn the win in relief
• Then tossed 2.0 scoreless, hitless innings of relief in game two
• Started game three of the Maryland series and allowed only one run in 5.0 innings, but did not earn a decision in the Huskers’ win

HITTING

• Has started a team-high 20 games as the designated player
• Also started three games at pitcher where she was in the batting lineup
• Produced her first career hit in the win over Ohio State
• Had a pair of hits and a walk in the Purdue series
• Had a double in game two for her first career extra-base hit
• Hit a two-run homer in game one against Penn State, marking her first career home run, run scored and first two career RBIs
• Walked and scored a run as a pinch hitter in game one at Rutgers
• Started and went 1-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch and another run in game two of the series
• Had two hits in the Illinois series, including a pinch-hit double in game three, her first career pinch hit
• Reached base in all four games at No. 24 Minnesota
• Had a hit in three of the four games, including a double in game two
• Drew a career-high two walks in Nebraska’s win over No. 24 Minnesota
• Went 1-for-4 with an RBI in game one of the Wisconsin doubleheader
• Had a breakout series in Nebraska’s four-game sweep of Maryland
• Went 4-for-5 with three home runs, four runs, six RBIs, two walks and one-hit-by-pitch in the series (2.600 SLG%, .875 OB%)
• Was 2-for-2 with a pair of home runs, two runs, three RBIs and a walk in game three against Maryland
• Then went 2-for-2 with another homer, two more runs scored and three more RBIs in the final game against the Terps
• Was named the Big Ten Player of the Week for her performance against Maryland, the first Husker freshman to be the Big Ten Player of the Week and the first Husker freshman to win conference player of the week since 2011
• Reached base safely in three of the four games in the Iowa series

Before Nebraska

• Played four years for Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
• Earned first-team all-conference and first-team all-metro honors each year and was an all-state pick twice
• Finished her career with a 67-7 record and a 0.77 ERA while recording 527 strikeouts and 40 walks
• Was a first-team all-state pick as a senior in 2020 after leading Kennedy to the state title
• Hit .501 with a 1.054 slugging percentage through four years and finished third in state history with 55 career home runs
• Led the Cougars to four straight Mississippi Valley Conference titles in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and was named the conference player of the year as a sophomore and junior
• Posted a 12-0 record with a 0.39 ERA as a senior
• Was named the Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year following her impressive junior season
• Helped the Cougars to a 33-6 record and the 2018 regional semifinals
• Finished with a 15-3 record and a 0.50 ERA while adding 133 strikeouts and four walks in 126.1 innings
• Batted .563, with 13 home runs and 41 RBIs as a junior
• Earned first-team all-state honors and was named to the Des Moines Register All-Iowa Softball team as a junior
• Was the all-metro player of the year as a sophomore
• Played club ball for the Nebraska Gold under Chad Perkins, Chad Marshall, Mark Nuismer and Larry Swift

Personal

• Born on April 24, 2001
• Is the daughter of Mike and Laura Kinney
• Has one brother, Drake and one sister, Sydney
• Was a member of the National Honor Society and student government in high school
• Majoring in child, youth and family studies