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10 Questions with... Men's Baseball McKay Barney
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McKay Barney lives and breathes baseball and is a 2023 Husky mainstay in the dugout and on the field
A CONVERSATION WITH BOB SHERWIN FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE
McKay Barney, a junior outfielder for the University of Washington baseball team, is baseball’s equivalent to a basketball’s ‘Gym Rat.’ A ‘Diamond Dawg’ perhaps?
Barney lives the game. He loves the game. As he says at one point in this 10 Questions format below, “Even if I didn’t play baseball, I’d still wake up every day and play baseball. That’s how much it’s a part of me.”
The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder from Mesa, Ariz., is a big part of the Huskies prospects for 2023. Last season, he led the team in hitting, with a .315 average, and in hits, with 73, playing all 55 games. He also stole 15 bases in 18 attempts.
He finished the 2022 season on a 15-game hitting streak, with multiple hits in eight of those games. Not so coincidentally, Washington closed the season by winning 12 of their final 14 games.
The Huskies, who return all six of their top hitters from last season’s 30-26 team, opened the season Feb. 17-20 with a four-game series at Santa Clara. UW has an all-time 12-3 record against the Broncos.
Here’s a 10-question snapshot into McKay Barney, one of UW’s most passionate Diamond Dawgs.
Where did your first name, McKay, come from? Family name?
“My mom, who’s from Utah, used to teach swim lessons. She had two kids in her class called McKay and Kinley. She just loved the names. Both are kind of unique. I’m the oldest so when I was born, she named me McKay and younger sister was named Kinley. A lot of people call me ‘Mac’ I guess that’s kind of like a cool nickname.’’
What’s your first memory of baseball as a youngster?
“The biggest memory that comes immediately back is me and my dad (Jason Barney). He just loved baseball. He played for Utah Valley in college. The very first memory of me is of being in the back yard with him. I was probably 3 or 4 at the time. He would just throw me balls and I would hit them, and we’d run and grab them and hit them again.’’
Were there other sports you played and considered pursuing? When did baseball become your focus?
“I played football and baseball through high school (Mountain View High, Phoenix). I lived in Arizona and the weather there allows you to play baseball pretty much year round. I would get to the point like in July I needed to do something else, so I’d play football (wide receiver) for a few months. It was a good balance. In my junior year at the end of the football season, like week nine, I broke my (right) fibula and the first thing I worried about was how it would affect baseball. But I had a six- or eight-week recovery and was ready for baseball by January. That was the one reason I ended up not playing football my senior year to focus on baseball. I didn’t want any big injuries.’’
You had a 15-game hitting streak to finish last season. What’s it like to be in that kind of groove, where you’re full of confidence and anxious get to the plate?
“I felt the whole team hit a hot streak at the end of the season. I think any athlete can say this, you just enter that flow state where everything slows down, you’re not worried about things, you just let your natural instincts that you’ve worked on your whole life kind of let loose. You’re not worried about outcomes, just having fun, just enjoying the moment.’’
How do you find that flow state? How does it get lost and how do you recover it?
“That’s literally the total game of baseball. Compared to any other sport, baseball is such a game of failure. You can do everything right and have an 0-for-4 day. You could fall into one of these slumps. It could be your fault, or it could be just the game in general. You have to recognize the failure, but you also have to get back to what you can focus on today to set yourself up to be successful. I like what (St. Louis first baseman) Paul Goldschmidt has said. He said treat every at-bat like you’re 0-for-0.’’
Is there a Major Leaguer whom you admire or pattern after?
“Growing up, I always admired (Philadelphia right fielder) Bryce Harper, and I still do. I love his passion he has for the game. He comes from a similar background, religion-wise, he’s LDS. He’s kind of an inspiration to me.’’
Why do you play the game and how long do you believe you will?
“I’ve played baseball ever since I can remember. I always tell people that even if I didn’t play baseball I’d still wake up every day and play baseball. That’s how much it’s a part of me. It’s just the passion that I have. It makes me a better person. It has taught a lot of life’s lessons about failure and learning how to mentally grow and overcoming the hardships of life. I honestly feel that baseball is one of those teachers that once I’m done playing the game, the lessons I’ve learned I hope I’m able to translate to my future. In my eyes, I’m going to try to play baseball as long as I possibly can, whether it’s professional or whatever the case may be.’’
Who has been the most influential figure in your baseball career? I think we may know?
“My dad. I actually would say both my parents (Jason and Kellie) have been supportive of my career. I’ve always been really lucky. They have provided me with so many opportunities growing up, taking me to tournaments to California, Vegas, Florida. They were the most supportive parents I could ever have. They wanted me to go after my dreams. They picked me up when I fell down. They still do that.’’
Baseball has changed so much over the years, with hitters gaining advantage, then the pitchers. Now there’s a countless number of pitchers coming through who can touch 100 mph. That’s such a change from even 10 years ago. You’ve come up through the system, how have you adjusted?
“I think the biggest step that baseball is taking now is into technology. Something I didn’t really notice growing up is, there’s a fastball and there’s a fastball that can cut, a fastball that can rise, a fastball that sinks or runs. Nowadays we’re able to measure those things so pitchers can say, “OK, how can I work to my strength to get more ride on my fastball or a fastball that runs off the plate more?” And they can use that technology to better their pitches. From a hitter’s standpoint, we also look at those numbers and see how the pitchers do this or do that. Then we use that to formulate a plan, an attack strategy, to say, “we have to see the pitch in this part of the strike zone or it’s going to run off the plate. If we chase that pitch, we’re not going to have any success.” With the development of technology, and this is what major league ball players do on a day-to-day basis, they look at this data and formulate a game plan on how they are going to approach a certain pitcher.’’
Why Washington? What brought you here from such a different a (desert) environment?
“I went to Brigham Young my freshman year, then COVID hit, and I felt like if I was going to develop as a baseball player I needed to go somewhere where I could play. So, I went to junior college (South Mountain College). That was one of the best decisions for me because I got to play every day and got a ton of at-bats. I was lucky enough to catch the eye of the Washington coaching staff. I heard a lot of great things about Washington, from an academic perspective but also a baseball perspective. It’s been such an amazing experience. I’ve been so lucky to be around great teammates, great coaches and have an opportunity to have an education here.’’
