damage of the school's dearth of starting pitchers. Pitching coach Dave Lawn, meanwhile, focused on improving Kennedy's command and stamina, which would allow him to pitch deeper into each game. His sophomore year turned into a breakout season for Kennedy, who went 12–2 with a 2.54 ERA, earned consensus All-American honors, and helped lead the Trojans through the first round of the 2005 NCAA Division I baseball tournament. Ultimately, however, the Trojans fell to Oregon State at the Corvallis Super Regional and were eliminated from the tournament. Kennedy, meanwhile, was named the Pac-10 Conference Pitcher of the Year after striking out 95 batters in his first innings. Going into the 2006 college baseball season, USC lost many staples of its rotation to the MLB draft, including catcher Jeff Clement and third baseman Billy Hart, and Kennedy was called upon to be a leader for the younger members of the team. That February, he came within one out of a no-hitter against Kansas before senior Ritchie Price recorded a hit in the ninth inning. Ultimately, Kennedy could not repeat the success of the previous season, slumping to a 5–7 record with a 3.90 ERA in 2006. Kennedy finished his college baseball career with a 24–12 record and a 3.09 ERA. He came in third at the time for all-time USC strikeouts with 380, and was second in strikeouts per nine innings (K/9) with 10.99. Professional career Minor leagues The New York Yankees selected Kennedy in the first round, 21st overall, of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft. He was the 39th player in USC history to become a first-round MLB draft selection. He signed with the team in mid-August for a $2.25 million signing bonus, roughly $750,000 more than expected for a 21st overall draft selection, and was assigned to the Class A Short-Season Staten Island Yankees of the New York–Penn League. Kennedy made his professional baseball debut on September 6, 2006, pitching innings against the Tri-City ValleyCats. After playing one game for Staten Island, Kennedy spent the winter with the West Oahu CaneFires of the Hawaii Winter Baseball league. In nine games there, including seven starts, he posted a 0–2 record and a 4.45 ERA, striking out 45 batters in innings. Following his brief Staten Island outing, Kennedy was assigned to the Class A Tampa Yankees of the Florida State League to begin the 2007 season. In 10 Class A