Published: May 5, 2010

Brian Kownacki, FCRH ’12, made national highlight reels last month after a heroic leap into home plate at Houlihan Park on April 20.  Kownacki’s score capped a nine-run eighth inning comeback for the Rams, who went on to defeat the Iona Gaels, 12-9.

The 20-year-old sophomore from Woodbridge, Conn. was making a bid for home when he soared over Iona catcher James Beck, ball-in-glove, and safely landed with a handstand on home plate.  “The leap was instinctual,” Kownacki said.  “I never seriously considered doing it, although I had seen it tried before.”

Kownacki has since become an instant media sensation, having received Top Play honors on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” while making headlines on Yahoo, CNN and MLB.com.  “I was told a few days after the video came out that my name was the third-most Googled name that day,” Kownacki said.  “It’s amazing that the video has over 1 million hits already on YouTube.”

“At first, the most fulfilling aspect to this whole experience was being on ‘SportsCenter,’” Kownacki said. “Then later I found out about all of the comments being made on television and radio shows and in newspapers around the country.”  Major League Baseball’s own top overall prospect for 2010 and Atlanta Braves starting outfielder Jason Heyward called the play “pretty cool,” claiming to have performed a similar stunt in Little League.

For the young student athlete, being in the public eye, both on the Internet and in the press, has been a unique feeling.  “The wackiest part was being interviewed live on FOX News,” Kownacki said.  “I always watch [the channel] whenever I’m eating in the café and I know they really only cover major stories from around the globe.  I was honored that they were willing to bring me in.”

But despite the overwhelming national attention, Kownacki remains headstrong.  “I do enjoy the media attention, but I am looking forward to getting back to my normal life.  My family and friends have been very supportive.  I got text messages all week about how proud everyone was of me.  My teammates make a lot of jokes about it and try to make light of the situation, but they do it all in good fun,” Kownacki said.