When infielder Ryan Kolodziejczyk ’27 was going through the college baseball recruiting process, he found the experience to be overwhelming.
“I spent months reaching out to schools I was never going to play at, either my baseball level wasn't high enough, my test scores weren't good enough, or both,” said Kolodziejczyk, a computer science and mathematics double major from Old Saybrook, Conn. “The silence from coaches who never responded or ghosted me was draining, and the stress it put on my family was real.”
Ryan Kolodziejczyk ’27 explains the concept behind BaseballPath, a data-driven evaluation tool that helps high school baseball players find college programs that fit their profile.
Determined to improve the recruitment experience for other student-athletes, Kolodziejczyk created BaseballPath, a data-driven evaluation tool that helps high school baseball players find college programs that fit their profile.
Players input their baseball metrics, academics and school preferences, and get a ranked list of schools that best fit them across Divisions I, II and III in under two minutes. Schools are ranked based on their baseball level, academic rigor and roster opportunity to give players a complete picture, so they can be proactive in their recruiting process rather than reactive.
Kolodziejczyk’s idea recently captured the top prize at SparkLab, Union’s annual business competition.
Eight teams of students representing a diverse mix of majors had five minutes each to pitch their idea to a panel of judges in Olin Auditorium last Wednesday for a chance to win up to $22,500 in seed money. As part of SparkLab, students learned basic business principles from accomplished entrepreneurial alumni.
Kolodziejczyk won $12,500 for his company. He plans to use the prize money to refine and enhance the data he collects. He also will run focus groups and one-on-one interviews with families currently in the recruiting process.
“I want every kid going through recruiting to have a clear picture of where they can actually play, and what schools are a genuine fit, so they don't lose months to the same dead ends I did,” he said. “A personally curated target list at the start of the process, or a check that you've been reaching out to the right programs, can be the difference between a stressful recruiting experience and a successful one.”
The other winner at the business competition was Hayley Kelleher ’28, an Organizing Theme major (Entrepreneurship) from Natick, Mass. A forward on Union’s Division I women’s hockey team, Kelleher created Slice Guard, an innovative entry in the hockey protective base layer market.
Hayley Kelleher ’28 created Slice Guard, an innovative entry in the hockey protective base layer market.
Having played hockey for most of her life, Kelleher has seen first-hand that many protection options for players are outdated, uncomfortable or widely resisted. She has introduced a new adhesion method, just below the ear (rather than in the back of the neck) to allow for rapid access in the event of skate lacerations, practicability for female players and independence for young players.
“With neck and wrist laceration protection now mandated at all levels of the game, players need equipment that actually works for them, not against,” said Kelleher. “Slice Guard is developing certified cut protection that players feel comfortable and unrestricted in, so they stop leaving it in the locker room, or leaving themselves exposed by folding, cutting or taping, which we see across the rinks today.”
Kelleher plans to use her $10,000 award to file a non-provisional patent, building on the provisional patent filed last summer and to sign a manufacturing contract. She hopes to bring Slice Guard to market this fall.
“These students put their liberal arts and STEM education into action using critical thinking to develop innovative ideas, collaborate in teams and deliver professional business pitches,” said Rochelle Caruso, interim director of the Career Center. “Each team should be proud of their accomplishment in pitching their business idea.”
The prize money for SparkLab is from the Vash Venture Fund. Established 30 years ago through a gift from former College trustee, entrepreneur and venture capitalist Arthur M. Vash '51, the fund supports entrepreneurial activities.
Judges included Catharine Potvin ’97, founder and CEO of Stragility; Bobby Syed '03, COO, iSimulate; and Rick Sicari, outsourced business advisor at BST & Co., CPAs and co-owner of The Albany Distilling Company, Inc.