By the time David Kinney arrived on the Clarkson campus, the Golden Knights’ baseball team was already one of the top teams in the Liberty League, but had yet to take the final hurdle to win the conference championship. Not only did Green and Gold accomplish that feat during Kinney’s freshman season, but the team did so again in 2011, marking the only two times the program has reached the NCAA Tournament. 

That success came in large part due to Kinney’s two-way performances, as he was one of the most feared hitters in the region and also a top-notch pitcher as both a starter and closer for the Golden Knights. The definition of a “see ball, hit ball” offensive player, Kinney squared up pitchers offerings more often than not, finishing his career with a .402 batting average, a .637 slugging percentage, 19 homeruns, 198 hits, 51 doubles and 314 total bases, all career records at Clarkson. In his senior season, when he hit .467, Kinney was internationally walked eight times, while no other player on the team was given a free pass all season. 
       
A two-time All-American, Kinney was the 2011 New York Regional Player of the Year and was a finalist for National Player of the Year that same season. Twice selected as the Liberty League Player of the Year, Kinney earned conference all-star notice on three occasions. 
    
Kinney’s play shined brightest in the post-season. As a precocious freshman in 2009. Kinney hit what proved to be the game-winning home run in the seventh to break a 6-6 tie in the Liberty League Championship Game. In the NCAA Tournament, he was nearly unstoppable, going 10-for-19 with 10 runs batted in over the course of four games. Two years later, he picked up the save in Clarkson’s first Liberty League Tournament win, then went 5-for-6 with four runs scored and four more driven in as Clarkson advanced to its second NCAA Tournament.