Baseball 10/22/2021 9:47:00 AM Lucien Kisch

Krsolovic brings international experience to Kenyon

Ronnie Krsolovic is not a household name in the United States, but just ask any baseball fan in Croatia and they will almost certainly know who he is. Krsolovic starred for Team Croatia in the European Baseball Championships in Italy this past September. The third baseman hit .433/.500/.533 during the competition and even made one pitching appearance against host nation Italy. That average and on-base percentage led all Croatian hitters for the tournament.

In addition to being a European baseball star, Krsolovic is also one of the newest additions to the Kenyon College baseball team's coaching staff, having joined the program this August as an assistant. Now that he has returned back to Gambier from Italy, he is ready to impart the baseball wisdom he gained from his experience onto the Lords as they prepare for their season in the spring.

Krsolovic is not from Croatia, but has Croatian heritage. His father, Ken Ksrolovic, coached the Croatian National Team from 1996-1998. Ken raised his son to be a baseball player. Ronnie said that he's been playing ball since he could walk.

"My dream was playing the big leagues," he said, "But not everything really goes as you plan."

While Krsolovic's big league dreams may have evaded him, he has still achieved a lifelong goal in playing baseball at an international level. He had his first chance to play with Croatia in 2018, when the team came to the U.S. to play a series of games. Because of his father's connections, Krsolovic was able to join the team and play for them that weekend. The audition went well and Krsolovic was invited to play with the team at the 2019 European Championships.

Krsolovic took on a major role for Croatia in this year's European Championship, where the team had excellent results. They finished seventh, the highest the country has ever placed.

"Before the tournament started, they said this is probably the best team Croatia's ever had," Krsolovic said. "We played really well. And it worked out."

One of the biggest highlights of the event for Krsolovic and team Croatia was their 8-2 victory over Germany, typically one of the top teams in the tournament. Historically, it was Croatia's first-ever win over the Germans. They also had an intense game with Italy in the quarterfinals. While they lost 8-5, Krsolovic believes it was a tremendous opportunity to play the host nation in such an important game. Beyond the on-the-field results, Krsolovic was surrounded by some players with experience in affiliated ball in the states. The one that made Krsolovic the most star-struck was Italy's manager, Hall of Famer Mike Piazza.

"It was really weird to, you know, look over there and, oh, there's Mike Piazza after you go to bat," he said.

Krsolovic noted some major differences between baseball in Europe and the brand played back home in the United States. For one, he noted that the Europeans are more likely to employ small-ball tactics, such as bunting. But beyond game-play style, Krsolovic noted a different level of energy in the games.

"We get a lot of chanting. There's a lot of singing that goes on," he said. "It's definitely a different culture."

Now that he has returned from the competition, Krsolovic is ready to use the experience he gained abroad to make the Lords the best team they can be in the 2022 season.

"My whole goal here at Kenyon is to help every player that we have become better," he said. "If something happens during practice, or a game, I can say, hey, I can kind of relate it to what had happened [in Italy.]"

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