Waterloo, IA – Former Waterloo Bucks outfielder Kevin Kaczmarski was called up to the big leagues Friday by the New York Mets.  Kaczmarski becomes the 15^th former Buck to make it to the show and joins Kansas City Royals infielder Ryan Goins and Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Dan Jennings as former Bucks who are active Major Leaguers.

Kaczmarski, who played with Waterloo in 2012 & 2014, started this season in the Single-A Florida State League with the St. Lucie Mets before being promoted to the Las Vegas 51s of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.  This season in the minors, Kaczmarski is hitting a combined .346 with 11 RBI and three stolen bases.

A product of the University of Evansville, Kaczmarski garnered Roth Jewelers Player of the Year Awards in both of his seasons with the Bucks.  In two years with Waterloo, Kaczmarski hit .339 in 102 games, compiling 16 home runs, 95 RBI, and 22 stolen bases.  His 16 home runs are tied for the second most in Bucks history, while his four triples in 2012 were the fourth-most hit in a single season for the ballclub.  Kaczmarski was taken by the Mets in the 9^th round with the 269^th overall pick in the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft.

Kaczmarski is the second former Buck to be called up to the Majors this season, following Eric Stout who was promoted by the Kansas City Royals in April.  Below is a list of former Bucks who have made it to the Majors.

The Bucks are currently on a six-game road trip but return home for a four-game homestand on Monday, June 25 as they face the Bismarck Larks at 6:35 pm at Cost Cutters Field at Riverfront Stadium where the team welcomed a new state of the art video board in 2016 thanks to a matching grant from the Black Hawk County Gaming Association.  Team ownership has invested more than $170,000 in improvements since the end of the 2014 season including painted bleachers, public Wi-Fi, sound system, group outing areas, kids zone inflatables, and concessions equipment.  Fans are encouraged to stay in touch with the Bucks by utilizing their website at www.waterloobucks.com or utilizing the Northwoods League Mobile App.  Tickets are now on sale by calling the Bucks’ Ticket Line at 319-232-5633.

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The Waterloo Bucks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Now in its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 190 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR).  All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit http://www.waterloobucks.comor download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Bucks as your favorite team.