With the rise in the use of aluminum and other metallic bats in high school and college baseball, one of the most daunting challenges facing pro prospects is learning how to hit with a wooden bat. Consequently, there has been an increase in the number of summer leagues that use wooden bats. After two modest seasons for Hamline University, Dan Kaczrowski spent the past two summers playing in wood bat leagues. The exposure, coupled with his work ethic, has enabled Dan to become the MIAC Player of the Year, an All-American, a preseason national Player of the Year and possibly a pro prospect.
“During my sophomore year at Hamline, a coach from the Boise Summer League was contacting college coaches in the area,” Dan recalled. “I had been talking to my coach [Jason Verdugo] about summer leagues. He shared the e-mail he had gotten from the Boise coach with me, and said if I was interested [coach Verdugo] would put me in touch with him. I was interested, and got put on a team. I went out there, batted .434, made the All-Star team and had a blast.”
Dan finished second in the league in batting and his 43 hits tied for the league lead. “Going out there and playing was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” he stated.
His stellar performance in Boise piqued the interest of some scouts. Over the next 12 months, Dan’s play was even more impressive and he drew the attention of more scouts, fueling hope of a career in pro ball.
He returned to Hamline in the fall and proceeded to tear the MIAC apart. He earned co-Player of the Year honors by helping lead the Pipers to a 12-8 MIAC record and a third place finish. He posted a .500 batting average, an .829 slugging percent, and an on-base percent of .561. He drilled 35 hits, scored 24 runs, parked four homers, amassed 58 total bases and stole 12 bases, finishing first or second in the conference in each of those categories.
In the MIAC Playoffs, Hamline lost twice, falling to St. Olaf (6-2) and Gustavus (7-3) to close their season 21-18. It was the third consecutive 20-win season for the Pipers. Overall, Dan hit .477 to lead the Pipers, with 40 RBIs and 54 runs scored. He was named First Team All-Region by ABCA/Rawlings and was named Third Team All-American by d3baseball.com.
Dan broke the Hamline school records for at-bats in a season (151), runs scored (54), hits (72), doubles (16) and games played (41, shared with two teammates from 2008).
Last summer, Dan played in the prestigious Central Illinois College League, one of the top wood bat leagues, and was assigned to the Danville Dans. “Kirby Puckett had played in that league, which I thought was cool,” he said.
The players in the CICL are primarily from Division I programs. Dan, the only Division III player in the league, earned MVP honors as he broke the all-time record for hits in a season. In doing so, he caught the eyes of scouts from a number of major league teams, raising speculation that he will be drafted in this spring’s MLB draft. “I hope to get drafted this spring,” he said. “If not, I will try out with some of the organizations and with various unaffiliated pro teams.”
This year, Dan and the Pipers are in the thick of the title chase. They stand 10-6 in league play, in fourth place but are only two games out of first. Overall, they are 19-15. Dan is hitting .434 in MIAC play and .392 overall and has 22 stolen bases.
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