Grand entrance: Former QND baseball standout Kindhart belts grand slam in first collegiate at-bat

ST. LOUIS — Brady Kindhart didn’t know where the baseball ended up after it landed beyond the center field wall.

He later found out it was in the perfect hands.

Mike Kindhart retrieved what will now be a forever family treasure and a reminder of how his son’s collegiate baseball career began. Monday afternoon, in the final game of a four-game series against Saginaw Valley State, the Maryville redshirt freshman third baseman blasted a grand slam in his first college at-bat to cap a seven-run first inning that led to the Saints’ 13-2 victory.

“It was awesome,” said Kindhart, the former Quincy Notre Dame standout who made his college debut as a late-inning defensive replacement in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader and drew the start at third base Monday. “I was waiting for it the last two years. It finally became my time to come out and do something.

“I was happy to do it with these boys around me and contribute to our team success.”

In fact, he contributed more than one swing. Kindhart finished 2 for 4 with five RBIs, collecting a run-scoring double in the fifth inning.

“It’s about the coaches getting me set up in the right mindset, giving me the scouting report, having me ready,” Kindhart said. “Yeah, I swung it, but it’s all a team thing. There are multiple things behind the scenes with guys doing things for me so I’m ready in those situations.”

He was ready from the start.

“I thought the nerves were going to be running through the system,” Kindhart said. “But I actually felt pretty good today.”

The Saints led 3-0 and had the bases loaded in the bottom of the first inning when Kindhart, hitting in the No. 9 spot in the order, came to the plate. He held no grand illusions in that moment.

“That’s when things go downhill,” Kindhart said. “I’ve done that in the past, and it always ends bad.”

So he kept his approach simple, laying off a high fastball on the first pitch from Saginaw Valley State right-hander Ben Kochany. The second pitch was another elevated fastball, but it was closer to the top of the strike zone and gave Kindhart a good look at it.

“I happened to put a good swing on it, got the bat there and good things happened.” Kindhart said.

Grand things happened. The ball jumped off Kindhart’s bat to center field, carrying beyond the reach of center fielder Lucas Mead.

“In the beginning, I was almost positive it was gone,” Kindhart said. “I looked back out there and the center fielder was still running to the wall, hauling butt toward it. So I was like, ‘Wait a minute.’ Then I saw that it left, and it was a great relief.”

As surreal as that moment was, he does remember the trip around the bases.

“Very faintly, but it’s all there,” Kindhart said.

That memory will last a lifetime, as will the home run ball that ended up as a keepsake of an unforgettable day.