When it comes to playing baseball for Notre Dame High School, the most pressure Tyler Kmiec feels has nothing to do with the pitcher he is facing or how bad the sun will be on a pop fly.
It starts before he even leaves the house.
“I got to make sure I have all my gloves with me,” the senior said. “I can’t leave any of them home.”
That may sound easy, until you consider Kmiec’s countless roles with the Irish. During practices and games, he might rotate between left field, third base, catcher, first base, even pitcher, at times. Notre Dame head coach Joe Drulius calls Kmiec “Mr. Utility.”
The Hamilton resident is playing his first season on varsity, although he may have gotten to the show last year had he not missed his entire sophomore season with a broken jaw. Kmiec is making up for lost time, as he was hitting .423 (11-for-26) with four runs scored and three RBI in the Irish’s 6-2 start.
“He’s been a big contributor offensively for us,” Drulis said. “He had a key hit against West Windsor North that helped us rebuild a lead, he doubled off the fence at Lawrence. He’s definitely a key for us and has had some big hits.”
Kmiec started his baseball career with the Hamilton A’s travel program, playing with them from age 7 until 15. He also played for Sunnybrae Little League for two years, making the 11- and 12-year-old All-Star teams. He moved on to Hamilton Babe Ruth and played one year of All Stars before deciding to play strictly with the A’s.
It was during those formative years that his dad, Chris, and A’s coach Brian Maglione stressed the need to be versatile.
“From a young age, they just had me play everywhere so I could always be in the lineup,” Kmiec said. “They said my bat was the biggest thing. Learning how to play different positions would ensure that my bat was always in the lineup. From a young age, I had all the gloves. I love the game so I just played wherever the coach put me so I could play and help the team.”
When he was in seventh grade, Kmiec began weighing his options between Hamilton West and Notre Dame. Since his father played for the Irish, along with several uncles and his fraternal grandfather, Kmiec said, “I figured why not come here to continue the lineage.”
Younger brother Jake thought the same thing and is now playing freshman ball for ND.
As a freshman, Kmiec batted leadoff and played predominantly at shortstop for the JV team. But high hopes for Kmiec’s sophomore season were destroyed in the first pre-season scrimmage against Hunterdon Central.
During the game, Kmiec was a baserunner at third and Tom Persichetti was on first. The pitcher threw to first for a pickoff and Kmiec broke for the plate. The throw home from the first baseman short hopped and the catcher couldn’t handle it. The ball skipped up and smashed into Kmiec’s jaw.
“I missed the entire season,” Kmiec said. “It was tough. I could do little things. I could have a catch, I could hit BP. I couldn’t do much else. It was tough watching everyone else play and me just kind of sitting there, not even being able to talk. When I play I’m a talker. Not being able to talk was what killed me.”
Nonetheless, he made his presence felt.
“He didn’t miss a practice, didn’t miss a game his entire sophomore year,” Drulis said. “He was always there to support his teammates. It tells you what type of team player Tyler really is.”
Last year, the Irish had a talented team that won the Mercer County Tournament. That left Kmiec relegated to JV for his junior year, where he hit a phenomenal .680.
If he hadn’t broken his jaw, Kmiec feels he could have brought some of that contribution to the varsity squad.
“It’s a whole two and a half months of not seeing live pitching,” he siad. “I had a rough summer season that year. I had to get used to seeing pitches out of the pitcher’s hands, getting the spin back. I had to pretty much re-learn to play my style of game. My style is fast, I like to run, be aggressive. Having that injury to the jaw was a big thing. It affected how I slid, when I ran and when I didn’t run. I did a lot less running that summer season.”
Last summer, Kmiec played for the Lawrence Post 414 American Legion team. He had the choice between Broad Street Park and Lawrence and chose 414 in order to play with his high school teammates.
“Tyler is the type of kid that could play for me any day,” Lawrence coach Jason Zegarski said. “He’s a very coachable young man with an incredibly competitive drive. Whether it’s third base, behind the dish or even on the mound, Tyler wants to be in the big spot. His work ethic and attitude make him an easy leader for the rest of the team to gravitate to.”
This past offseason, Kmiec worked with Notre Dame strength and conditioning coach John McKenna. Drulius said Kmiec has grown stronger, bigger and faster as a result of their sessions.
Kmiec said of all the positions he plays, catching is his favorite, but in the next breath he acknowledges that “Anthony (Titano) is doing a great job back there.”
It is nice for Drulis to know, however, that Kmiec is available on days Titano needs a break, or if someone else in the starting lineup can’t play on a certain day.
“It’s kind of rare to have that,” the coach said. “We’re really lucky. He is a team player. We go over how he’s going to help the team, where he’s going to be. And he’s just like, ‘However I can help the team is fine with me.’”
Kmiec will take his varied talents to Division III Methodist University in North Carolina.
“Once Division I aspirations were gone after last year, I kept in contact with [Methodist],” Kmiec said. “They were my safety school. I sent them a video, they got in contact with me and wanted me down for their camp. I went down, met the coaches, and I just fell in love with it. One of the big things with where I went to college was it had to be good weather, so I’ll be getting that.”
One thing is certain—the Methodist staff will get getting a coach’s dream.
“It doesn’t matter where he is in the lineup or on the field,” Drulis said. “He just wants to win.”
Zegarski agreed.
“I wish,” he said, “I could have a team full of Tyler Kmiecs.”
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