Player Spotlight: Michal Kovala
Newport RI- Right-handed pitcher Michal Kovala is the farthest member of the Gulls to flock to Newport and was deemed Europe’s best prospect in the 2023 Class by Perfect Game.
Kovala is a native of Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, where baseball is the third most popular sport behind hockey and soccer.
“Not everybody knows about baseball,” he said when asked about the sport’s popularity in his native country. (mlb.com)
He played on virtually every Czech National team growing up and quickly realized he needed tougher competition.
“My dad was once at Dodger Stadium in America playing for the Czech National team,” said Kovala. “So, I guess that’s where the dream begun for me to play in the States.” (mlb.com)
Kovala weighed roughly 135 pounds before arriving in the United States, initially attending Combine Academy in Lincolntown, North Carolina. His pitching coach saw his ability and suggested he build up his strength and focus on pitching.
Currently, the pitcher stands 6’0” tall, weighing 183 pounds. His velocity has increased to over 90 mph while featuring multiple breaking pitches as well.
Kovala was selected to play with the Czech Republic National team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic where he pitched four scoreless innings against Germany. He closed that game, forcing a ground-ball double play from former Big Leaguer Bruce Maxwell.
He played the 2023 season at P27 Academy in Lexington, SC before choosing to attend Georgia Tech. As a freshman, Kovala was top three amongst his teammates in ERA as a reliever during the regular season.
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The Newport Gulls, members of the 13-team New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded as the Rhode Island Gulls in 1998 in Cranston, R.I., before moving to Newport in 2001. In addition to recruiting, fielding, and developing a team of the nation’s top collegiate baseball athletes and attracting 50,000 fans annually to Cardines Field, the predominantly volunteer organization strives to benefit the community via summer camps, reading programs, fundraisers, scholarships, and charitable donations – totaling over $1 million since 2001. The Gulls are seven-time champions of the NECBL – the winningest franchise in league history – and were ranked as the overall No. 1 summer collegiate baseball team in the country by Perfect Game USA in 2012.
For more information about the Newport Gulls, stay tuned to Gulls Social Media and Website
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