Windham resident earns prestigious national baseball honor

By Ed Pierce

If Liam Kalakowsky had his way, right now he’d probably skip Christmas, New Years and Valentine’s Day and go straight to St. Patrick’s Day as he’s been honored as one of the recipients of the inaugural Irish Baseball Heritage Awards by the Irish American Baseball Society.

Liam Kalakowsky of Windham, a
sophomore attending Cheverus High
School, has been named as a winner of 
the inaugural Irish Baseball Heritage
Awards by the Irish American Baseball
Society. SUBMITTED PHOTO 

The awards recognize middle school and high school baseball players for their achievements on the field, in the classroom, and in the community.

Kalakowsky lives in Windham and is currently a sophomore student at Cheverus High School in Portland after transferring from Windham High School this fall. As a freshman at Windham High School, he played catcher for the Eagles JV baseball squad and demonstrated a knack for hitting, batting.444 for the season. He is the son of Adam and Erin Kalakowsky of Windham.

At Cheverus High this year, he’s been a member of the school’s golf team, basketball team, Chess Club and Key Club. He intends to play baseball this spring for Cheverus and says he’s excited to travel with the team to Florida for April vacation with his new teammates.

His goal is to play baseball beyond high school and to help him become a better player, Kalakowsky also plays catcher for a travel showcase tournament baseball team, the Coastal Riptide 16-Under GOLD.

“What I love the most about baseball is how challenging it is and being able to contribute to my team’s success,” he said. “I love doing whatever I can to help my team and my teammates succeed.”

He was one of three recipients of this honor nationally from the Class of 2026 as chosen by the Irish American Baseball Society, which also oversees the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame. The awards are the latest initiative of the Irish American Baseball Society to recognize the Irish impact on the game of baseball.

“This is an important part of our work to bring together the Irish American community around the game of baseball,” said John Fitzgerald of the Irish American Baseball Society. “We were honored to receive nominations from coaches, teachers, and parents from around the country.”

The awards are open to all players, regardless of their family’s ancestry and if a player doesn’t have Irish ancestry, they can still qualify for the award by volunteering in their community on behalf of an Irish American cultural organization.

Award applications were reviewed by a panel of Irish American Baseball Hall of Famers, including Joe McEwing, Sean Casey, Mike Sweeney, and Steve Garvey.

Fitzgerald said that the Irish American Baseball Society celebrates the Irish impact on the game of baseball and supports the development of youth baseball programs in Ireland and America and these awards are natural progression of that effort.

According to Kalakowsky, he was humbled by this honor, and glad to be chosen as he works very hard on and off the field, in the classroom, and for his community. He said he is also very proud of his Irish heritage.

As a freshman baseball player at Windham High School last year, Kalakowsky was named to the school’s honor roll every quarter, and he finished the year with a 4.0 Grade Point average, while also participating in the Debate Club and Key Club activities. He also played baseball for Windham Middle School and for teams in the Windham Little League. <