Ben Klafczynski

Class:
Freshman
Hometown:
Granger Township, Ohio
High School:
Medina Highland

2009 Sophomore Season

Was the only player to appear in every game for the Golden Flashes, earning 54 starts…led the team and was among NCAA leaders (33rd) with 22 doubles and was fifth on the team in total hits (71) for a .318 average…hit his second career grand slam in game two of a doubleheader at Duquesne (4/29)…hit what proved to be the game-winning three-run home run in the top of the 11th at UNC Greensboro (2/21)…hit a solo home run in the championship game of the MAC Tournament against Toledo (5/23), his sixth round-tripper of the year…went 3-for-10 in the NCAA tournament with two runs scored and a RBI…played for the Bourne Braves, the 2009 Cape Cod League Champions, contributing 22 hits with 7 doubles…finished the summer off hot, hitting .346 over the final nine games, all wins, ending with the Braves first ever CCBL Title.

2008 Freshman Season

Garnered four freshmen All-American honors, including first team honors from CBN/Louisville Slugger, PING Baseball, and was included in the Top 30 as a Freshman All-American nationally by both Rivals.com and Baseball America…appeared in 55 games with 35 starts…served primarily as the designated hitter…batted .339 and had a slugging percentage of .630, second best on the team…third on team with 11 home runs…totaled 56 hits, 24 for extra bases…drove in 35 runs…recorded 13 multi-hit games and had a 13 game hitting streak…smashed a grand slam and and added another RBI at Louisville (3/16)…crushed a round tripper and earned three RBI in the MAC Tournament finals against Eastern Michigan (5/24)…in the summer season, he recorded 27 totals hits with 23 RBI, good for third on the Columbus All-Americans of the Great Lakes Summer League…earned player of the week honors.

Prior to Kent State

A four-year starter for Medina Highland under head coach Jeff Rollyson…ranks 10th in the OHSAA record books for hits in a season (57), 12th in career home runs (30) and 15th in single season batting average (.613)…helped the Hornets earn a state regional final berth…was first team All-Ohio in 2007…rated among Baseball America’s Top 100 high school players in the class of 2007 and competed in the 2006 USA Baseball Tournament of Stars in Missouri…selected to the 2007 Louisville Slugger All-American First Team…was one of three outfielders in the nation selected to the 2007 National High School Baseball Coaches Association First Team…was the 2007 Akron Beacon-Journal and Cleveland Plain Dealer player of the year…also lettered three times in basketball and received All Ohio and all-district honors and twice in golf for Highland.

Personal

Born Sept. 21, 1988…son of Ray and Elaine Klafczynski…has one older sister, Amy, and two younger siblings, Leah and Andrew…volunteered for the Special Olympics…majoring in sports management with an emphasis on the PGA Club Professional track…member of the Kent State Leadership Program and SAAC.