AFTER YEAR OF DISASTERS, PITCHER SHOWING PROWESS.

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Daily News Staff Writer

Jay Kenny is the other half of Westlake High School's dynamic-duo pitching staff, but if you haven't heard much about him, don't worry, you soon will.

Kenny, who joins teammate Tim Carr to form one of the top rotations in the area, didn't play much as a junior last year after hurting his back in a car accident and then catching mononucleosis.

So while Carr was nonplusing opponents and scouts with his devastating fastball - which ultimately led to a scholarship to Arizona State University - Kenny spent much of the year rehabilitating from his various bouts and wondering why all the bad luck in the world had decided to visit him all at once.

By the time he did return, toward the end of the season - too soon according to Kenny - he pitched well enough down the stretch to serve notice that his senior year would be an effective one.

Through eight games in 1996 he's done nothing to alter that feeling, posting a 2-2 record and a 2.33 ERA over 18 innings of work. He also has 12 strikeouts.

Kenny would like to forget all about last year, but he realizes that in some form or another his difficulties served a purpose.

If nothing else, not playing made him appreciate playing that much more. He thought about that often while he was in rehab.

``It just made me want to work that much harder to get back on the field,'' Kenny said.

The worst feeling, he said, was watching games and realizing that his team needed him but there was little he could do about it. In fact, it was that desperate feeling of wanting to do something - anything - to help the Warriors nail down a playoff spot, which made Kenny come back prematurely.

``I just wanted to help the team and get out there on the field so much,'' he said. ``I definitely wasn't 100 percent when I did come back so it probably wasn't the best thing I could have done.''

Kenny suffered the back injury in December when a drunk driver rear-ended his car at a traffic light. Then, while working his way back into shape, he caught mononucleosis midway through the season.

``I was wondering what the heck was going on,'' Kenny said.

Now fully recovered, Kenny cherishes the pain-free walk to the mound and is ready to help win ball games.

First-year Warriors coach David Wilder is equally excited to have him back. It's not often that a coach can start a pitcher like Carr one day and follow up with Kenny two days later. That sort of one-two punch will certainly keep Westlake in the hunt for a Marmonte League championship or playoff spot.

``It definitely gives me confidence that I have two really good pitchers,'' said Wilder, who predicted at the beginning of the year that Kenny would open a lot of eyes with his performance this season.

Kenny also shed 20 pounds since the end of the season while adding two pitches to complement his fastball.

The lost weight has given Kenny more stamina and better pitching mechanics. The two pitches - a more refined curve and a more deceiving change-up - have provided him added options when facing batters.

After implementing the new pitches into his repertoire, Kenny is getting more and more confident in their effectiveness.

``I'm starting to feel more comfortable in getting them over for strikes,'' he said.

Wilder felt it was essential that Kenny develop more pitches.

``I don't care how fast your fastball is,'' Wilder said. ``If you don't have anything to complement it with, the other team is going to adjust and give you problems.''

Kenny agrees. A self-described ``pitcher'' as opposed to ``thrower,'' he has always appreciated the technical and mental aspects of pitching.

He credits his grandfather - a former baseball player - for teaching him the nuances of baseball.

``I've always considered myself a student of the game,'' he said.

He'd like to continue playing beyond this season. Hopefully on the college level.

Wilder feels that if Kenny devotes an entire off-season to working out and concentrating on baseball, he'd be a tremendous addition to a college team.

``I'd take him, no doubt about it,'' Wilder said.

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Photo: Jay Kenny

A force to be reckoned with