Marshfield's Kevin Kwedor throws perfect game for Mass. Maritime

April 29, 2014

By Ryan Wood, Marshfield Mariner Sports Editor

It took a little while for it to finally hit him, and when it did, Kevin Kwedor realized he truly did something special.

The Massachusetts Maritime sophomore threw a perfect game Monday, April 21, against MCLA, becoming the first pitcher in the program’s 42-year history to accomplish such feat. This past Monday, Kwedor was named Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week for his perfect performance.

“At first, it was hard to believe,” Kwedor said. “It’s really exciting and a pretty prestigious thing to do.”

Kwedor realized he had a perfect game with three innings to play against MCLA, and it was on his mind the rest of the game.

“I had it in my head for the final three innings that I had a chance to do it,” he said. “I tried my best not to think about it.”

And he did, retiring the final nine batters to complete his perfect game, which was the first of his career.

“There were quite a people who didn’t realize it, and everyone talked to me (in the dugout) like it was a normal game,” Kwedor said. “Everything felt pretty good for me. I was throwing my two-seam fastball a lot more than I do. I was locked in from the start. I felt really good when I was warming up.”

Kwedor threw 60 of his 89 pitches for strikes, fanning six in the 4-0 victory. He came close to walking three batters, taking them to 3-2 counts.

Following the game, the congratulations and recognition poured in. Kwedor was even featured on the front page of the NCAA athletics website.

“It’s a pretty weird feeling,” Kwedor said of the praise. “Since it happened, everyone was congratulating me on campus.”

Kwedor’s rise to the college ranks began way back in Marshfield Little League. He then took his talents to an array of AAU baseball teams, including Cape Riptide, the Navigators, the Diamonds, and in his junior year of high school, the Bobby Valentine All-Americans. The lefty pitched three years of varsity baseball at Marshfield High.

“When I was in high school, I knew I wanted to play in college,” Kwedor said. “I felt that I had the ability to do so.”

Kwedor took his talents to Southern New Hampshire University, but after a disappointing freshman season, he transferred to Mass. Maritime.

“Last year was discouraging because I wasn’t really playing at all,” Kwedor said. “Here, I got a good amount of innings.”

Kwedor is majoring in Marine Safety and Environmental Protection. He’s enrolled in the Army ROTC program, and when he graduates, Kwedor would like to join the Army and serve as an officer. For now, he’s got two more years at the school and two more years of college baseball left in him.

I like it a lot here,” he said. “It’s a really good school. (Transferring to Mass. Maritime) really got me back into baseball again.”