'That's a baseball school right there': Transfer shortstop Henry Kaczmar on what it's been like joining South Carolina
Even though he grew up in a state where football is most popular, Henry Kaczmar’s love for baseball runs deep.
A Bath, Ohio native, Kaczmar grew up around the game. Both of his uncles played baseball at Ohio State. His dad taught him how to hit left-handed ever since he could hold a bat at three years old.
During the summer, Kaczmar was tuning in to watch the College World Series. Now years removed from his youth and in his first few weeks of playing at South Carolina, he certainly remembers watching those great Gamecock teams that won back-to-back championships in the early 2010’s.
“Growing up, South Carolina was one of those schools where I was like, ‘Man, that’s a baseball school right there. That’s how you play,'” Kaczmar said during the Gamecock Club Hour on 107.5 The Game.
“I just always remember the the fight and determination that they had. And obviously that’s something that Coach (Paul) Mainieri came out of retirement to do and to do at a high level is to go out there and compete for a championship.”
[Join GamecockCentral for great coverage, great community]
Now being in Columbia and playing at Founders Park, Kaczmar is surrounded by what he grew up watching. As soon as he walks into the facility, he’s greeted by memorabilia from those teams that went to Omaha.
“With Jackie Bradley (Jr.) and that 2010 and 2011 national championship team, and then coming here, just seeing it all over the walls and the national titles everywhere, it’s kind of embedded in the blood here. And I feel like Coach Mainieri is really pushing to get this team to experience that as well,” he said.
Ultimately, that’s what Kaczmar wants as well. The junior shortstop transferred to South Carolina during the summer after spending the last two years at Ohio State.
In 110 career games with the Buckeyes, Kaczmar hit .307/.398/.464 with 14 homers and 82 RBI. With just seven homers in each of his first two seasons, he’s been much more of a contact hitter. But in working with hitting coach Monte Lee, he’s starting to see some of his power tools unlocked.
“Monte’s done a really phenomenal job in analyzing our swings down to the tiniest little details. I’ve kind of seen a lot more power come just from my time here,” Kaczmar said. “That was one of my goals coming here was to get a little bit more power, and I knew that was going to come a little bit later in my career, because I have been a good contact hitter, and that’s kind of what I’m known for. But coming here, I can already see the power numbers going up.”
[Win two tickets to the South Carolina-Ole Miss football game]
As a fielder, Kaczmar made 12 errors but finished with a .952 fielding percentage at shortstop this past season in Columbus. He said he brings “an enthusiastic play style” to the infield.
“If you’re the shortstop, you got to be the leader of the infield, leader of the team. And I feel like when I go out there, I’m extremely vocal. I’m extremely enthusiastic,” Kaczmar said. “Someone makes a great play; I’m picking them up. And if someone boots a ball or something like that, you got to pick them up as well. And I feel like that’s super important. I feel like the game kind of lacks a little bit of that in the current day now. But what I bring to the table is that leadership style and just that vocalness that every team needs.”
With full team practice beginning next Monday, Kaczmar feels great about how the team has meshed so far. While the roster isn’t finalized yet, South Carolina will have 30 new players, between transfers and incoming freshmen, on the team in the fall.
“I’ll tell you one thing; I think that this team that I’m on right now has been the best at jelling that I’ve ever seen. I feel like coming in, everyone was super welcoming, and you could see that in the old guys, and what the old guys bring to the table in terms of culture. They believe that it’s a huge part of the team. And it’s true, because it’s a huge part of every team,” Kaczmar said.
“You’ve got to be able to build a relationship with the guys, whether if they’re new or if they’re returning guys. It’s an extremely important aspect of the game is building a relationship off the field to improve your chances on the field. So, I feel like this team especially has done an outstanding job at jelling and there’s not one guy that I would not want to be with right now.”
