PERKASIE – Eric Kammler and Kate Wacyk have promising futures.
Kammler plans to major in pre-med/biology with his sights set on attending medical school. Wacyk will major in biochemistry.
Both ensured that their journeys will be a little easier when they signed letters of intent to play their respective sports at the collegiate level.
Kammler signed a letter of intent to accept a baseball scholarship to LaSalle University, and Wacyk has received a softball scholarship to the University of Hartford.
For both athletes, it is the culmination of years of hard work.
As a freshman and sophomore, Kammler played baseball on the AAU circuit. More recently, he’s been playing for Pennridge American Legion in the summer, and then it’s on to fall ball with his Academy team. He also works out during the off season at the All-American Baseball Academy in Warrington.
“Before I was playing baseball year round, I was into ice hockey, but I gave that up,” he said. “Once I got into the Academy, they were practicing three times a week, and it got to be a little much.”
Wacyk’s sport of choice until she was in ninth grade was baseball – not softball.
“My brother (Andy) and my dad (Craig) were both into baseball,” she said. “When I was younger, I always wanted to be like my brother. I started playing, and I loved playing baseball. I loved playing with the guys.
“It made tough and mentally strong because there’s no getting upset around them.”
Wacyk began playing travel softball for Deep Run when she was 12. From there, she moved on to the North Penn Eclipse and more recently played for the Blazing Angels out of Bristol
Wacyk chose Hartford from a list of colleges that included Penn State and St. Joe’s.
“I liked the smaller, rural setting at Hartford,” she said. “It’s kind of like being here because of the class sizes and the amount of students.
“I really liked the coach and his coaching style.”
Kammler, who played shortstop for Pennridge as well as his American Legion squad, hit a combined .430 (40 hits, 93 at bats) with 14 walks, six home runs and 36 RBIs. He won the Keystone State Games Outstanding Amateur Athletic Achievement Award in 2008 and helped his team to gold medals in two of his four years on the team.
“He has nice eyes (for the ball), he has very good hands, and he has a very good arm,” coach Tom Nuneviller said. “He has a nice powerful left handed swing.
“He has a lot of very good tools, and he is going to be successful.”
LaSalle is looking to keep Kammler in the infield with plans to put his bat in the middle of the Explorers’ batting order.
Wacyk played catcher for the Blazing Angels travel team, hitting at a .292 clip with 10 doubles and two triples. For her high school squad, Wacyk, who will be a four-year varsity starter, moved to shortstop after playing behind the plate as a sophomore.
“She’s an athlete, and she handles herself well on the field,” Pennridge coach Jay Wenger said. “She’s got to be in the top five or six athletes I ever coached – boys and girls. She just has so much ability, and you can see it right away – the way she throws, catches, runs and hits.
“She does everything well. She knows the game, she’s a hard worker, and she’s going to be a success.”
Wenger believes that Wacyk will find a home behind the plate.
“No one runs on her,” he said. “She blocks the plate well, she calls the game well, and she’s a very intelligent kid.”
It is Wacyk’s versatility that impressed the Hartford coaches, who project she will catch or play on the left side of the infield.
“Kate’s diversity defensively is an important factor for this recruiting class as it will provide us with options and flexibility as we move forward,” Hartford coach Todd Randall said in a press release on the school’s web site. “She has been schooled well as a hitter, and we believe she has a bright future at Hartford.”
For now, Wacyk is looking forward to her final high school season.
“As a team, I know we struggled, but when I come here, we work together as a team, and we have fun,” she said. “It’s not as competitive as my travel team, but we have fun.
“Sometimes I like to have a break and have fun.”
When asked her best high school memory, she had an immediate response.
“My freshman year I made the varsity,” Wacyk said. “I loved playing with all the girls. They taught me a lot about how to play and how to conduct myself on and off the field.”
For both athletes, the academic aspect was very important when selecting a college. Wacyk has been a member of the school’s Distinguished Honor Roll and Honor Roll. Kammler is a member of the National Honor Society, Distinguished Honors and Honor Roll.
“Eric is a good baseball player, but before that, he’s a good person,” said Nuneviller, who also coached Eric’s older brother Adam. “He’s a good kid from a good family. They’re very hard workers, they love the game of baseball – they just love to play, and that’s very important.
“This didn’t just happen overnight. It was a long process. It’s nice to see kids rewarded.”
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