Baseball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
Former Wolverine captain Brian Kalczynski is in his first season as a member of interim head coach Chris Harrison's coaching staff. Kalczynski, who earned three letters as an infielder with the Wolverines (1996-98), will work with the outfielders, base running and he will coach first base. Kalczynski will help Harrison with the infielders and hitting instruction.
A native of Farmington, Mich., and a graduate of Brother Rice High School, Kalczynski earned his B.S. in Education at Michigan in 1999.
Kalczynski spent the past two seasons as a volunteer coach at Illinois under the legendary Richard "Itch" Jones. The Fighting Illini won the Big Ten playoff championship at Minnesota in 2000 and gained the playoffs once again last season.
Kalczynski, 25, started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Brother Rice (1999) before heading to Illinois. He coached in the Cape Cod League for Brewster in 1999 and coached for the Torrington Twisters in the New England Baseball League this past summer.
Kalczynski, who hit a double in his first at bat as a Wolverine, played third base and first base as a sophomore in 1996. He played shortstop when he won the Ray Fisher Award as Michigan's Most Valuable Player in the 1997 Big Ten championship season hitting .350 with 16 doubles and 49 RBI. Kalczynski made just two errors in 94 chances at shortstop in 28 Big Ten games for an outstanding .979 fielding percentage.
He was named to four all-tournament teams as a Wolverine, including the 1997 Big Ten Tournament in Michigan's Ray Fisher Stadium. "Kal" played 20 games as captain in 1998 before suffering a career-ending back injury.
Part of an athletic family, Kalczynski was captain of a state championship baseball team at Brother Rice that featured his brother, Joe, as catcher and the coach was proud papa Ron. "Kal's" uncle is Detroit Red Wings radio announcer Ken Kal.
Kalczynski is single and resides in Ann Arbor.
