The Grind, presented by The Bank of Clarendon: Wilson Hall's Kinney learns from brothers, friends as he strives to lead Barons to state title

Wilson Hall's Clark Kinney was born to be an excellent athlete.
The Baron senior grew up as the son of a well-respected basketball coach and had a pair of older brothers, William and Andrew, who forged a path to success years in advance. His next-door neighbor, JP Sears, is locking down a spot in the Oakland A's rotation.
On top of the bloodlines, Clark is surrounded by a senior class at Wilson Hall that was regarded as the group that would boost Baron athletics in every sport. They lived up to the hype when Kinney and the Wilson Hall football team played for the SCISA 3A title this fall. Now he's looking to find similar success in his final high school season on the diamond before taking his talents to Washington & Lee University.
"I'm really excited. It's been a long time coming. This year and this baseball season I've been looking forward to for a long time," Clark said. "I feel like I've been playing at the varsity level at Wilson Hall for a long time. And it's been my life for the past four or five years. To be the last ride is bittersweet, but I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a fun year."
FAMILY FIRST
Growing up with older brothers can typically force a young athlete to develop a little more quickly, but it looked a little different for Clark.
The older Kinney brothers aren't just a couple of years older than Clark; they're a decade older. That didn't stop a young Clark from trying to butt into any and every game that was being played around the house or neighborhood.
"I think more than anything, it just sparked some competitiveness in me because I can't stand to lose, just like them," Clark said. "Any time we would play, they would never let me win."
The Kinneys have always lived and breathed athletics. Both of Clark's parents were high school athletes, and his father, Byron, continued his career at USC Sumter. Byron then turned to coaching, and he led the Sumter High basketball program to sustained success, including a state title in 1985. As William and Andrew grew up, Byron started coaching his sons, and the constant whirlwind of sports never slowed down.
"He was just always around with both of us playing sports, whether that be baseball, football or basketball. He was just at so many sporting events," William said. "Growing up just around the house, we would always be kind of practicing and playing and would always just loop him in once he was old enough. It was really fun to see him take a liking to sports and really just kind of grow and develop along and along once he got older.
"He's probably been to more baseball games than most adults."
ESPN was the soundtrack to Clark's childhood, not Disney movies. That's just the way things went at the Kinney house, and he enjoyed every minute of it.
"I grew up always being at their games, whether it be football, basketball, baseball, anything. I'd like to know the number of sporting events I've been to because it's up there, but that's in our blood," Clark said. "We just love sports. People always say, like, `Did you ever watch this kids' show?' And I was like, `I mean, SportsCenter was always on.' That's just what we watched, and that's kind of what we do.
"I wouldn't trade it for anything."
When William graduated from Wilson Hall in 2015, he went to The Citadel, suiting up with his neighbor, Sears. Clark and the rest of the Kinney clan always made trips down to see them play. Clark quickly ingrained himself with the team, trying to learn what he could about his favorite sport.
"They were all very supportive, Mom, Dad and Clark and Andrew. My Mom and Dad and Clark, especially, were at most all of our home games, so he was always around the ballpark," William said. "He got to know a lot of my teammates and I think just looked up probably to all of us more than we even realized at times."
That mentorship was critical for Clark. Because his brothers were so much older than he is, they had a chance to both experience life and reflect on crucial milestones.
"One of the things I try to relay to him mostly is just all the lessons I learned along the way," William said. "Just from my experience playing, you learn a lot throughout the years, and so trying to just kind of relay that to him and give him advice, lead him in the right direction. Still let him grow somewhat on his own, but also try to maybe help him try to avoid some of the same mistakes that I did playing at the next level, just try to let him know what to expect and be prepared."
EARLY SUCCESS
One of the highlights of Clark's career came before he even reached high school.
He was a member of the Sumter County All-Stars in 2019 with his father serving as head coach. The team consisted of a mix of current Wilson Hall teammates, some recent graduates and other highschoolers from across the county. The group put together a dominant run, eventually playing for the Dixie Junior Boys World Series, eventually topping the squad from Louisiana to claim the title in Aiken.
"That was just one of the greatest moments of my life," Clark said. "Just that whole summer and winning, that was just so fun. We had a great group and a great season, and we ended up winning it all. And those are still some of my closest friends."
Byron has won a lot of games throughout his coaching career, but there's no question which is his favorite.
"That was a special group, and thank goodness a lot of those same guys are his classmates now at Wilson Hall, and they've won a lot of games together," Byron said. "They really have a very close bond away from sports, too, that I think takes them through the difficult times. When you get in a sporting event and things don't go your way, they're a really close-knit group. That was a special group of kids, and throughout all my coaching career, that's the highlight for me."
GROWTH AT WILSON HALL
When Clark got to high school, he and his fellow freshmen immediately carried a heavy weight of responsibility, especially in baseball. Clark was largely unfazed by the pressure but knew there would be hurdles physically when he was a freshman competing against seniors.
On the mound, Clark had to develop into a different style of pitcher. He couldn't rely on his fastball when trying to strike out 18-year-olds. He had to be crafty.
"It really just forced me to focus on my off-speed," Clark said. "Maybe if my fastball isn't as great as I want it to be, maybe my curve ball or maybe my changeup can be. That really kind of developed my curve ball, which is probably my best pitch."
Clark isn't afraid to pull out that curve ball, either. Last spring, when the Barons' season was hanging in the balance, Clark dropped in a nasty hook on a full count with the bases loaded in a tied playoff game against Ben Lippen. The Barons eventually won on a walkoff by Jones DesChamps, advancing to the state semifinals.
High school baseball is built around that flexibility and development. Clark has played every position on the infield. He's a queen on the chess board, which makes a massive difference at the high school level. When your starting third baseman suddenly has to go to the mound in relief, a coach needs to know someone can confidently move to that position. In most cases, Clark is ready to step in.
"A lot of it is just being around the game. I've watched countless number of baseball games, and just seeing how everything works and where guys go in certain situations," Clark said. "If I know what to do, I can find a way to do it most of the time. And then obviously practicing and the preparation that goes into playing wherever.
"I just try to do whatever I can to help the team, and whether it be playing in a certain position or not playing in a certain position, and just trying to lift guys up."
Clark and the Barons have also learned to thrive in the face of adversity. They did so all football season in the fall, as season-ending knee injuries started to pile up with key players. Clark even missed a couple of games at the end of the season with an injury to his left elbow. Despite those injuries, Wilson Hall played for the 3A state title. Most of those injured football players would've been key contributors this spring, but Kinney and the Barons are ready to roll with the punches.
"I think we had a very similar dynamic in football; we had a couple guys getting hurt, and we had to do what we could with what we had, and we had success with what we did, even with some guys out," Clark said. "Unfortunately, a couple of those guys will be out for baseball season, too, so I think that same question mark of how are people going to step up and that kind of thing that came up in football is going to come up in baseball again. Since we did have some success in football after losing a couple guys, I think that we're confident that we can have some success in baseball even though we've lost some, too."
FOCUSED ON THE FINER DETAILS
Clark's success on the field and the classroom is defined by his willingness to do the necessary little things that make a big impact.
"I've really just tried to focus these past couple years and past couple months on really just trying to control what I can control," Clark said. "Whether it be in the classroom or on the field, you can control your preparation and your attitude and effort. You can't always control the results. You can do everything you can to get a certain result, but there's no guarantee that result's going to happen."
One area where Clark gets an edge is his diet. Clark's diet is built around protein, while being sure to mix in plenty of fruits and vegetables. Yogurt and granola have also become a go-to for the Baron.
"That's just another thing that I can control," he said. "You are what you eat, and I know that's cliche, but it's true. If I can get an advantage by eating something and having a better diet, then I'm going to do it. That's just the type of person I am. I kind of changed it probably two or three years ago, and I think it's made a difference not just athletically, but just personally I feel better. And definitely with the weight room stuff you see more physical changes and everything quicker."
Clark loves getting into the nitty-gritty details of his overall health. The senior wears a WHOOP, which measures every detail Clark wants to know, from rest levels to caloric intake. Byron is impressed that his son has such attention to detail without parents or coaches prodding him to do so.
"He's really self-motivated to be the best he can be when it comes to being a student or an athlete. If it means extra work in the weight room or making adjustments on his diet, he's willing to do it," Byron said. "His mom and I don't push him. He's really always been one that kind of took care of himself, and maybe the fact that he had two older brothers had something to do with it. They were good role models for him. He's always been the easiest of our three boys."
Even during football season, Clark is getting baseball reps. Luckily, he plays quarterback, so that can offset a lot of his throwing program for baseball. He also makes sure to build a workout that benefits both sports equally.
"You definitely need overall strength, so definitely some strength training, and then you have to be mobile and work on your mobility stuff, whether that be stretching or different types of weight training," Clark said. "But mixing the weight training with the plyometrics, you can get bigger and more athletic overall. You just want to be an athlete when you're out there."
FAMILY COACHING
While Byron has mostly been the coach of the Kinney family, William has been dipping his toes in the water, too. He's been a regular resource for Clark over the years, primarily as a hitting coach. Now he's serving the Barons as an assistant this spring. William loves having a front-row seat for his brother's senior year.
"It really hasn't been that different. It's more of a brother relationship than maybe a coach/player. We're just as close as we've always been. I treat him just like all the other kids, but it's a ton of fun," William said. "I've just really enjoyed being around him this last spring before he goes off to school. He's very coachable, likes to take advice, and he's just a pleasure to be around."
Byron is still on batting practice duty for the most part, which gives William a chance to key in on Clark's swing.
"My dad has always been the BP guy, but William is the coach. He watches, and dad throws," Clark said. "Recently, William has thrown some BP, but it's mainly my dad. He's thrown a lot of BP in his life."
Clark has seen a world of improvement since working with his older brother.
"He completely changed my approach. As a freshman and sophomore, I wanted to just try to hit home runs the whole time, which is probably getting the best thing," Clark said. "Now it's just trying to square the ball up and hit it to the right-center and left-center and spray the gaps, and you will actually end up hitting a lot more home runs that way than you do trying to hit home runs, and the average will be better and everything will be better. He's completely changed my mindset on that."
Byron loves getting a chance to work with his sons in so many different ways.
"It's a lot of fun. He and William have a unique relationship when it comes to coaching, and he and Andrew have another relationship that's away from athletics that's really strong, too," Byron said. "But to watch William work with him, he really communicates well with Clark, and Clark responds to him very well, and it is a lot of fun to see them working together. He's had a lot of other really good coaches along the way, recreational baseball, high school baseball, but it is very rewarding to see he and William working together and having some success."
His life-long neighbor is always willing to help out, too, though it's a little tougher to fit into his schedule during baseball season.
"(Sears) helped me a lot in the offseason with a lot of pitching stuff," Clark said. "I'd send him videos, and he'd send me videos. He's been a great mentor, and his work ethic is unmatched with what he puts into it, and the little details is great. That's how he got to where he is."
ONE LAST RIDE
Clark's plans after Wilson Hall are set, which makes his final season for the Barons a little more stress-free. The senior will head off to William and Lee next season and work to compete for a starting job on the infield at either third base or shortstop.
"Clark put a lot of pressure on himself last year because he knew he wanted to try to play a college sport and go to a strong academic school. When the scenario with Washington and Lee worked out, I think it kind of took some pressure off of him," Byron said. "Now I think he's really enjoying this year a whole lot more than he did last year because he put a lot of pressure on himself to get to where he wanted to go. I think that he's kind of been rewarded by this, and Beth and I really enjoy watching him enjoy the ride here his last semester."
William is glad to be back in Sumter with the chance to watch his brother thrive before moving up north.
"It's really, really fun to watch. It's just funny, I can't believe that's kind of where he's at now in life. I remember, it seems like yesterday, it goes by so fast, that he was playing All-Stars and rec league and then transitioning up through B-Team. It's hard to believe that's here now, but it's been really fun watching the couple games we've had so far," William said. "And I'm really excited about following him at the next level. I'll be up at as many games as I can, following all of them. It's just as much fun for me to watch as it is for him to play. Especially at this point now, with being done with baseball, being able to kind of watch and still be a part of his journey is really, really cool."
Clark wants to close out his time at Wilson Hall with a state title. Despite their preseason injuries, he's confident the Barons have what it takes to make a push for a title.
"I think we know what it takes to get over the hump, even though we may not have completely gotten over it," Clark said. "We've been there, and we know what we could have done better and what we do and don't need to work on. And of the teams that even have beat us, what do they have that we don't have, and how can we get that? I think we've tried our best to get what they have and to eventually prepare ourselves to get over this hump and hopefully bring a state championship."
Once he's played his final game for the Barons, Clark is ready to turn his attention to the next stage of life. He can't wait to see what Washington & Lee has to offer.
"I'm really excited to head up there and to Virginia this summer. I met some people that go there and are going with me, and I love them, and I'm excited to be with them and be at a school that will challenge me athletically and academically," he said. "I'm ready to take the next step, whether it be in academics or athletics, because the college baseball versus high school baseball will definitely be a step up, and then the academics will be a step up from high school. But I'm ready for it, and I'm excited for it. Hopefully, I can continue to grow."