It was announced earlier this week that Cinnaminson High School alum Cody MacNair was named the 2016 CSAC Baseball Player of the Year for his sophomore season at Neumann.
“I loved the school. I came here for a recruiting camp and played really well,” MacNair said. “I like the area, love the school and love the field that we have. I went to a small high school so I love that it’s a small college. Going to a big school would seem weird to me.”
MacNair was also named to the all-conference first team for the 2016 season.
“It was a complete surprise,” MacNair said. “I had no idea I was going to be named player of the year. I was kind of expecting all-conference honors, but not player of the year.”
“My coach called me a couple hours before the press release came out. I thought it was about practice, but he said I was named player of the year.”
MacNair, a member of the 2013 state championship team at Cinnaminson, has had a stellar two seasons for the Knights.
“Cody just loves to play baseball and works year round to improve his craft,” Cinnaminson head coach Kevin Merrill said. “Cody enjoys game day, but he also thrives at practice as he goes through positional drills and as he takes a lot of reps at the plate and on the tee.”
“Cody appreciates the amount of time needed to succeed on the field, and so it is not a surprise to me that he has earned CSAC Player of the Year, even as a sophomore, because of his work ethic and his love for the game.”
MacNair started 33 of the 34 games he played during the 2016 regular season and hit .388 with 50 hits (team high), six doubles, six homeruns, 29 RBIs and 25 runs scored.
In his freshman season MacNair hit .392 with 29 hits, five doubles, two homeruns, 21 RBIs and 12 runs scored.
“Fall ball (freshman year) was my adjustment period,” MacNair said. “You get used to the culture of college baseball. It gives you a taste of what you will go through the rest of the year. You’re out all day with classes and practice. It’s the schedule, that takes time to get used to.”
MacNair credited his father for helping him prepare for college baseball.
“My dad, growing up with baseball, was always tough on me,” MacNair said. “He’d tell me that in college it’s going to be long, it’s going to be a grind. It’s going to be different than in high school or with travel ball.”
MacNair offered some advice for student-athletes in high school preparing for a college search.
“Believe it or not, going into my senior year I had no offers to play anywhere. I went to that camp for Neumann, one weekend, played really well and I was offered a spot right there.”
“It doesn’t matter how many teams are looking at you, the right team will find you. Find the right school you want to go to because you’re spending four years there. The last thing you want to do is leave. It’s not just baseball, it’s an education. You’re there for four years.”
The Knights went 19-17 overall in the regular season and 11-7 in conference play this year. They earned the three-seed in the CSAC Tournament, which begins today at #2 Immaculata.
Follow Cinn City Sports on Twitter for news, scores and live updates from games throughout each season. Like Cinn City Sports on Facebook. Sign-up for our daily newsletter, which arrives daily at 8am with the previous day’s stories, on the homepage.
