'We go as they go': Cousins Henry Kaczmar, Mason Eckelman guide Walsh to baseball success

Cousins Henry Kaczmar and Mason Eckelman are continuing to have fun together on the Walsh Jesuit baseball team.

Kaczmar and Eckelman are starters at shortstop and catcher, respectively, and are trying to help guide Walsh to the Division I state tournament for the second season in a row.

Kaczmar and Eckelman looked the part of leaders Thursday with their words towards teammates on the diamond and with their swings in the batter's box in a 10-1 win over Mayfield in a district final at Nordonia's Bernie Hovan Memorial Field.

More: John Simecek, Mason Eckelman lead Walsh to Division I baseball district title

"It is awesome when you are driving home from practice, you know middle of the week, and you are thinking about 'This is what it is about and this is the best time I am going to have in my early baseball career, so I am just trying to cherish every moment," Eckelman said. "I am not taking anything for granted and going to compete for everybody out there."

Walsh finished with 12 hits Thursday and advanced to a regional semifinal game at Louisville at 2 p.m. Thursday against North Canton Hoover.

Eckelman, a junior, totaled two singles, a walk, a double, three RBIs and scored two runs.

Kaczmar, a senior, contributed a single, a double, a walk, two runs and an RBI.

Both players are committed to play baseball at the University of Michigan, but their focus right now is on winning two regional tournament games and two state tournament games to hoist trophies at Louisville and at Canal Park in Akron.

"This is awesome," Kaczmar said after he and his teammates received a district championship trophy and medals.

"It is a great feeling whenever you win a championship in anything, but I feel like this year our team is a lot closer than it has ever been. It is one of the most tightly knit teams I have ever played on, and knowing that to win districts is a great feeling. ... Everybody trusts each other and that is huge."

More: As final season draws to a close, Kaczmars relish every moment with Walsh Jesuit baseball

Walsh junior John Simecek is appreciative of what Kaczmar and Eckelman bring to the team on a daily basis.

"They are always there, always uplifting the team and trying to make the team better," said Simecek, who hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the third inning Thursday to give Walsh a 4-1 lead over Mayfield.

"Henry and Mason are always there for us."

Walsh coach Chris Kaczmar said "it is one of the joys of a lifetime" to coach his son, Henry, and his nephew, Mason.

"This is something that I always dreamt about," Chris Kaczmar said. "I still am sad when I think about 2020 when both of my sons [2020 Walsh graduate Stanley and Henry] would have been able to play with Mason. It brings tears to my eyes thinking about what could have been there, but to have the opportunity to coach my own son and my nephew on the same field in my last season is something that I will take with me for the rest of my years."

Walsh assistant coach John Ventura has known Henry Kaczmar and Mason Eckelman since they were born.

"They grew up in our dugout," Ventura said. "When they were little, they used to run around in the outdoor [batting] cage during our games. It is really neat to see them where they are now. They are so close. Two cousins that are really, really close is neat to see.

"... They are the heart and soul of the team. Their energy is contagious. They are the ones that are always picking everybody up when we need people picked up. We go as they go."

More: Chris Kaczmar ready to embark on final season as Walsh Jesuit baseball coach

Kaczmar and Eckelman are far from Walsh's only standouts in the field as Simecek, Will Harding, Joey Canzoni, Kasey Kish, Topher Salek, Alejandro Covas and Andrew Gormley consistently hit and flash reliable gloves.

"I think the authenticity of our players this year makes this team chemistry so special for me," Chris Kaczmar said. "These players are themselves every single day of the week. They love each other genuinely, and that is not just lip service. They get along extremely well, the coaching staff gets along with them and everybody has embraced their role. We are enjoying the game of baseball each time we go out on the field."

Henry Kaczmar is confident that more memorable games are on the way.

"I feel like it's all coming together at the perfect time," he said. "I feel like earlier this year we didn't have a lot of offensive shine. We have started to heat up now, which is great. We started to heat up at the end of the regular season and now we are getting hotter in the playoffs. It is the perfect time to do that."

Superstitious Henry Kaczmar

Henry Kaczmar wore eye-black under his right eye, but not his left Thursday with superstition in mind.

Eye-black is designed to prevent the glare of the sun from impacting a person's vision.

"I played really well the other day," Kaczmar said. "I think this is the third game I have done it. I used to wear it on both [sides of my face]."

Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow Beaven on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MBeavenABJ.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cousins Henry Kaczmar, Mason Eckelman guide Walsh to baseball success