‘I’m thankful for how close I got’: Knelsen finishes six strikeouts shy of OCAA record
Brady Knelsen didn’t get the record. He came close, though, closer than almost anyone saw coming.
The St. Clair Saints right-hander struck out nine in his final regular-season start on Saturday, a 10-1 win over Sheridan. He finishes his OCAA regular-season career with 179 strikeouts, second all-time.
The record belongs to former Saint Kyle Breitner, who struck out 185 batters over a five-year career. Knelsen went into Saturday needing 15 to pass him. He got nine before leaving after the fifth inning.
He did it in four years. Another former Saint, Taylor Pappin, is third on the list with 124 strikeouts over five years.
Early in the season, the record wasn’t really on anyone’s radar, including Knelsen’s. “Right at the beginning of the year when I had a couple of games where I had ten and then I had nine, and then it was like a long ways away to to claw back and get close at the end,” Knelsen said. “Was was like an awesome opportunity in of itself.”
He credits his coaches for giving him the ball. “I’m thankful that my coaches trust me to go out there every week and to have a start. And they let me go the whole game almost every game,” he said. “And also grateful to God for keeping me healthy for all my four years here. Never missed a start.”
The fourth-year starter also leaned on the defence behind him. “I try to have as much confidence in the guys behind me to play, to make plays so I can go out there and throw strikes,” Knelsen said.
He finishes third all-time in career wins with 13 and third in career ERA at 1.33. He’s sixth with 93.2 innings pitched.
Coming up short of the record doesn’t bother him. “That’s okay. Like, I’m thankful for how close I got in four years,” he said.