Daniel McKinney had been waiting for this day for quite some time.
Now it’s official, the Bowling Green High School senior is going to play baseball at the University of
Michigan.
McKinney was one of three BGHS student-athletes to sign their national letters of intent to Division I
schools last week. Stories on Bobcat volleyball players Kelsey Lahey (Marist) and Chelsea Watson
(Niagara) will be published later this week.
For McKinney, the signing makes a goal he set as a freshman in high school become a reality.
"It’s all pretty surreal. It’s been a dream of mine ever since I was a little kid. All I ever wanted
to do was play baseball," said McKinney, who received a partial athletic scholarship to Michigan.
"When I realized I had a shot to play Division I baseball, it was pretty huge for me. And to sign
the letter it’s pretty big.
"From my freshman year, Michigan was where I wanted to go."
McKinney, who played his first two years of high school ball at Toledo St. John’s, has been ranked as one
of the top pitching prospects in the state of Ohio by multiple baseball publications.
McKinney features a fastball that has touched 90 miles per hour and is consistently in the mid- to
upper-80’s, and he also has a variety of pitches he can throw for strikes.
"Daniel throws three pitches for strikes and is very competitive," Michigan head coach Rich
Maloney said on the school’s official Web site. "He should be competing for a job right out of the
chute."
McKinney was a first-team All-Toledo City League selection as a sophomore for St. John’s and was a
first-team All-County and second-team All-Northern Lakes League pick for BG last season.
As a sophomore, McKinney was 8-0 on the mound and earned first team All-District honors for St. John’s.

As a junior, McKinney pitched 62 innings for the Bobcats, finishing with a 2.26 earned-run average with
50 strikeouts.
"I think what it does for our kids is it gives them a perspective or something to go off. They can
watch him work and see what he does to make himself better," BGHS coach Josh Iler said. "He’s
persistent. His love for the game … You can just see no matter what type of obstacle he faces he’s
going to try to overcome it. He knows what he can do."
"More than anything I’ve been blessed with great coaching. I wouldn’t be where I was without the
coaches I’ve had over the years to this point," McKinney said. "Coach Iler does a lot for me
and has really helped me along the way."
McKinney played summer travel baseball for the Ann Arbor (Mich.) Travelers with four other players that
have signed with or are already attending Michigan.
McKinney said he plans on rooming with one his teammates from the Travelers, fellow incoming freshman
Travis Maezes of Ann Arbor, who is the top-ranked prospect in the state of Michigan according to
MichiganBaseballProspects.org.
"I’m going to go play with people I know and that I played with," McKinney said. "The
coaches were awesome. I love Ann Arbor. Every time I go up there I just love being there. It just felt
like the right place."
McKinney holds a 3.3 cumulative grade-point average and said he is still undecided in terms of choosing a
major.
"I’m hoping to contribute right away. They’re losing a lot of guys, a lot of pitchers. I’m hoping to
come in there and compete as hard as I can," McKinney said. "Obviously everyone in the Big 10
is good and more than anything I think you’ve got to compete and I’m ready to do that. I’m hoping to be
able to start right away."