The senior outfielder/first baseman/designated hitter is batting .451 for the powerful Friars (as of May 4) with 23 hits (eight of them for extra bases) with 21 RBIs and 13 runs scored, with an OPS of 1.212. He is committed to play baseball at Limestone University. Malvern Prep baseball head coach Freddy Hilliard said, “Cole has one of the highest baseball IQs of any player I’ve been around. And he also has one of the most even keeled demeanors on the field. He never gets too high or too low. Offensively, he uses the whole field and can drive the ball with power to all parts of the field. As a teammate, he is extremely well liked and respected due to the way he goes about his business both on and off the field and how he treats others regardless of class.” Off the field at Malvern Prep, Kirschner also participates in the school’s Beekeeping Club and World Affairs Club.
Q: What have you worked on most recently regarding your hitting?
A: Towards the beginning of the season, I felt like I was getting out on my front foot a little too much, which caused a lot of my weight to be on my front foot. This was causing a lot of rollovers and weak pop-ups. I talked to our hitting coach, Coach Ken (Elkind), and he helped me tremendously. He gave me a couple of drills and things to work on that would help me keep my weight back. One big adjustment was switching to no stride. That helped me the most and I have been doing that for a majority of the season. It has helped me keep my weight more on my back foot and I feel like that has been the highest contributor to my success.
Q: What has been your favorite experience with the Malvern Prep team so far this season?
A: My favorite experience this year was our spring break trip to Florida. It was awesome to be able to spend so much time with the team and form stronger relationships with some guys that I might not have been super tight with beforehand. Eating together, rooming together, and spending almost every second with the team for the week was an awesome experience that I won’t forget. It also helped that we were able to win every game we played down there.
Q: As a hitter, you probably have a better idea of what a pitcher will be throwing the more you see him. Can you tell us a few of the things you look for when facing a pitcher that you’ve seen several times before?
A: One of the many things that our staff is so great at is data collection, specifically Coach (Alex) Melconian. Every game we play Coach Melconian keeps a chart of the pitches that the opposing pitcher throws. So, if the count is 0-0 and the pitcher throws a fastball he marks that down. He does that for the whole game for every pitch and each different pitcher that throws and he keeps these sheets stored away. So, for example in a league game if we face someone that we faced early in the year already or even from last year Coach Melconian pulls out the sheet we have on him and I can see how the pitcher attacked me last time I faced him. This helps me tremendously in my approach for when I see him again. If he attacked me with mostly fastballs the first time around I know to sit on a fastball. If he attacked me with mostly offspeed the first time around I know to expect offspeed and to attack that.
Q: What is your favorite baseball field, and why?
A: My favorite field I’ve played on is the Trenton Thunder Stadium. Not only is it a beautiful stadium but the story behind it is even better. We had the opportunity to play at the Trenton Thunder Stadium this year against a very good Poly Prep team. It was a great game and we went into the bottom of the seventh inning trailing by three runs. I was able to single to start the inning. Then we had a bunch of clutch hits by Chase Ecker, Brady Abate, and Tague Davis, and then a huge walkoff by Mason Clark. Truly a game I will never forget and one of my favorite moments in my baseball career.
Q: Tell us a little about your pre-game preparation the day of a contest.
A: My pregame routine looks a little bit different depending if we’re home or away. For a home game on a weekday, we usually get out of class a little early to get some swings in. Sometimes we take on field batting practice and other times we just get some swings in our cages. For me, these swings are all about just feeling good. We train against difficult machines during the week with velocity and breaking balls, so, on game day, I’m just trying to groove my swing and make it feel good for the game. After getting some swings in we stretch and throw as a team; then take infield outfield and get ready to play. For away games I’m a big music guy. A few teammates and I usually like to listen to some music on the bus ride as a way to stay loose and get the positive vibes flowing before the game. Then when we get to the field we stretch, throw, and take infield outfield and get ready to play.
Q: Who is your favorite baseball player and why?
A: My favorite player is Bryson Stott. I’m a huge Phillies fan so naturally my favorite player is on the Phillies. I was intrigued by Bryson when the Phillies drafted him. I thought it was unique that he got drafted out of UNLV and that led me to follow his journey throughout the minor leagues. I was always pulling for him and it’s been cool to see him be an integral part of the team now. He also has one of the sweetest swings I’ve ever seen.
Q: Tell us a little about your start in organized baseball.
A: Baseball has been a big part of my life ever since I was able to play organized baseball. My dad sparked my interest in baseball. From a young age, I was always around sports and enjoyed being active. My dad played baseball and basketball in high school so those were the two sports that I played the most growing up. I’ve played pretty much every position during my time in competitive baseball. As I’ve gotten older I started to play outfield and first base the most.
Q: Who have been your most influential baseball mentors and what has been the most valuable thing each of them have taught you?
A: I’ve had many influential baseball mentors throughout my career. The three that stand out are Mike McCardell, Chase Miller, my dad, and the Malvern varsity staff. Coach McCardell was the coach of the first travel ball team I played for. I played for him for about five years. He was the first coach that knew the game of baseball well and he set the groundwork for the rest of my career. He knew how to keep baseball fun for us when we were younger while also teaching us about the game. Chase Miller has been there for almost every step of my baseball journey. I did hitting lessons with him when I was younger, he coached me at Malvern on the JV team, I played for his travel team, and I worked with him during many off-seasons throughout high school. He’s been an influential figure in my life not just on the baseball side of things but also as a person. He’s seen me grow so much and has always been there for me and taught me many valuable lessons throughout our time together. On top of all that he also provided great baseball knowledge and has helped me tremendously with my swing. The Malvern staff as a whole has had an unbelievable impact on me as a player. Their knowledge about the game is incredible and I have gotten so much better while playing for them. What makes them truly great though is not only do they want you to become a better baseball player, but they also want you to become a better human being. Everything they do is focused on that goal of not only becoming a better baseball player, but a better human, and that’s what makes them truly special. The love they have for not only me, but every player in the program is truly unremarkable and you won’t find it anywhere else. Finally, my dad has been there since the start of my baseball journey. He has always made time in his day to hit with me or hit me ground balls. He has been a constant in my life and has been there to encourage me every step of the way.
Q: What has been your favorite experience of your baseball career outside of Malvern Prep?
A: My favorite experience outside of Malvern was my travel team’s trip to Georgia this past summer. This had a very similar feel to our Florida trip this year for Malvern. We spent a ton of time together outside of baseball and formed a stronger bond as a team. We ate meals together, hung out at the pool, and had fun playing baseball in the warm weather.
Q: What is your favorite academic subject at Malvern Prep?
A: Throughout my time at Malvern, I have always enjoyed religion class. Because Malvern is a Catholic school we take a religion class every year and every religion class I have taken has always been awesome. They not only help me strengthen my faith but are enjoyable and help me learn a lot.
Q: What do you think you’d like to major in at Limestone University? Is there a particular career field that interests you at the present time?
A: At Limestone I am going to major in Athletic Training. Athletic Training is always something I have been interested in. I have a passion for sports and wanted to pick a career that helped me stay connected with sports. I also love helping people so athletic training seemed to be the sweet spot for me. I get to help athletes get back and stay on the field.
Fun facts – Cole Kirschner
Favorite book: Percy Jackson series.
Favorite author: Rick Riordan.
Favorite TV show: The Office.
Favorite athlete: A.J Brown.
Favorite pre-game pump-up song: Pump It Up by Endor.
Favorite team: Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Eagles.
Favorite place to visit: “Beach house in Wildwood.”
Favorite pre-game meal: Wawa hoagie and protein bar.
The person I most admire, and why: “My Dad. He is the man I want to be when I grow up and sets an example for me every day of what a great man looks like.”
Family members: parents Tom and Diane.
(To be selected as Main Line Boys Athlete of the Week, a student-athlete must first be nominated by his coach.)
To view a gallery of the previous Main Line Boys Athletes of the Week click here
