Among Andrew Kell’s list of priorities when he has his bat at the plate for Salisbury baseball, hitting a home run is surprisingly not one of them.
His preference? A hit up the middle.
“I think home runs are accidents,” the Columbia resident and Oakland Mills graduate said. “They always feel great, but my approach is never to hit a home run. So when they happen, yes, they feel great, but I don’t ever go up there trying to do that.”
Kell has reaped the benefits from that mindset. The junior center fielder leads all NCAA Division III hitters in batting average at .538, which is 48 points better than his next competitor. He also ranks second nationally in on-base percentage at .630 and ranks seventh in slugging percentage at .890.
Kell leads the Sea Gulls (26-6, 2-1 Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference) in hits (49) and is tied for the team lead in runs scored (37). He ranks second on the team in RBIs (38) and is tied for second in home runs (six).
Coach Troy Brohawn said he knew Kell could excel at batting at the collegiate level — even if he didn’t exactly envision Kell leading the country in that department.
“The moment doesn’t get too big for him,” Brohawn said. “He doesn’t overswing, and he uses every ounce of the field from line to line. So I always thought he’d be very successful as a hitter. If you’re asking me if I thought he’d be leading the country in hitting, I can’t say that I thought that.”
Even Kell is mystified. He described his presence as the national leader as “shocking.”
“I take the same approach to each at-bat,” he said. “I’m not letting one get bigger than the other. Just trying [to have] that patient aggression to where I’m looking for a certain pitch, but if you throw it over the plate, I’m going to try to hit it hard.”
As a sophomore, Kell batted .358 with 11 RBIs, eight stolen bases and one home run en route to being named to the All-Howard County Times second team in 2019. The following spring, discomfort in his right elbow led to Tommy John elbow reconstruction to repair the ulnar collateral ligament.
Kell’s senior year was marred by a torn right hamstring in the beginning and a torn left hamstring at the end. The second injury was especially damaging because it took six months for him to recover and eventually sidelined him for his freshman season in 2022 at Salisbury.
“I was anticipating being able to go at the start of my freshman year, and it just kept lingering to the point where halfway through the season I just couldn’t get healthy,” he said. “I decided it was just time to take another step back and focus on getting fully healthy once again and just redshirt that year to come back the next year.”
Last spring, Kell appeared in 25 games but made only two starts as he played behind a starting trio of left fielder Scott Cameron, center fielder Kavi Caster and right fielder Cameron Hyder. He batted .306 with 11 hits (including three doubles and two triples) and 10 RBIs as primarily a pinch hitter.
According to Brohawn, that time helped Kell comprehend how the coaching staff wanted Kell to play defense. Brohawn said Kell’s improved ability to read the ball’s flight after it connects with opponents’ bats has helped him and associate head coach Ron Siers develop the confidence to have Kell start 24 of 29 games in the outfield.
“We decided to throw him out there and give him the opportunity,” Brohawn said. “He worked his tail off in practice, chasing fly balls and getting jumps, and as graceful as he may not be compared to others, he gets the job done.”
Kell said he is pleased that his defense effort has paid off.
“I’ve been working extremely hard at each and every practice to get better because as Coach Brohawn said, we’re mainly a defense and pitching school,” he said. “So I know that defense is really important here. I try to think of it as where I know I’m not the best outfielder, but I can do my best to pull my own and contribute anyway.”
Still, hitting is Kell’s strength. One of his more memorable performances this season occurred in an 8-4 victory at then-No. 8 and 2023 College World Series finalist Johns Hopkins when he hit solo home runs in his first two at-bats and laced a two-run double in the top of the ninth inning to help the Sea Gulls rally from a 4-3 deficit.
“I had started two or three [games] before that, but that was the first game where I felt like I made a major contribution,” he said. “That was just the best overall baseball game I could have played that day. I wouldn’t say it was a relief, but it was awesome to finally take advantage of an opportunity.”
As the leadoff batter, Kell tries to spark an opening for graduate student right fielder Tim Petrucelli (.387 with 39 RBIs and nine home runs, both team highs), junior catcher Dylan Winebrenner (.377 with nine doubles and six home runs) and senior first baseman and Loyola Blakefield graduate Danny Sheeler (.373 with 34 runs scored and 31 RBIs). Senior pitcher Benji Thalheimer, a Columbia resident and Atholton graduate who is familiar with pitching against Kell, said Kell can set the tone for the team.
“Whether it’s hitting a leadoff home run, just what he’s able to do in that leadoff spot energizes the entire lineup for the entire game,” he said. “I think his success at the plate has greatly impacted the success of the entire team throughout all of our games this season.”
Brohawn pointed out that National Player of the Year awards are usually based on offensive numbers and said Kell has probably inserted himself into those conversations. Such consideration would be gratifying, but Kell said he is simply happy to contribute to Salisbury’s success.
“If you had told me at the beginning of the season that I would start every game, I would say I was probably a .350, .400 hitter,” he said. “But to lead the country, that’s just an honor, and I’m blessed.”
St. Mary’s at Salisbury
Wednesday, 3 p.m.