Heat check...

We can now present the new playing coach Kellen Kmiecik. We asked him a couple of questions about his baseballexperiences all over the world...

Well Ive been very blessed the past few years that I have been able to travel the world, live in different cultures, and meet and develop great friendships through the great game of baseball. Ever since I was a kid, I knew I wanted to play professional baseball. After playing a couple seasons of professional baseball in the US, I decided to go play a season of winter ball in Australia. I had such an amazing experience that I decided that I wanted to continue traveling the world through playing/coaching baseball. Ive been fortunate for the opportunities to play in Germany, Czech Republic, Australia, and soon to be Sweden. Im extremely excited for this upcoming season with the Heat, Im feeling big things happening for the club and team this year!

I was talking with a few teams at the time I was contacted by Heat. It was a pretty easy decision after talking with Josh because I really like the professional manner in which he represented and described the club.

My expectations of baseball in Sweden is the same as anywhere I have or will play. The game is played the same way all over the world, the bases are 90 feet, the mound is 60 feet 6 inches and if you hit a ball over the fence its a homerun. Ive been very impressed the past few years on development of baseball all over Europe. Im excited for the opportunity to play and help further the progression of the game within Sundbyberg Club and Sweden.

The only personal goal I have for this season is to help the club/team win as many games as possible while also having fun!

My Great Grandpa was from Sweden and later in his life came to the US. I would like to go visit the town he lived in and possibly try and trace it back to find some distant relatives.

Ive only heard great things about the Swedes. The rumors Ive heard are the Swedes make great meatballs, give great massages, and they make great dance music. Looking forward to experiencing them all.

Cheers,
Kellen