GREAT ACHIEVEMENT: Jackson Kraemer, left, and his younger brother, Will, enjoy the moment after they helped Great Britain team win the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-23 Baseball European Championship in the Czech Republic earlier this month. The Kraemer brothers, who both starred for the Hun School baseball program, played a key role in helping Great Britain win the title, its first ever in WBSC competition. The older Kraemer, who currently plays for the University of Richmond baseball team, starred in center field and batted .267 with a .713 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) and four RBIs in the tourney. Will Kraemer, who is joining the Pepperdine University program this fall, played shortstop and second base and hit .222 in the tournament. (Photo provided by Derrick Kraemer)

By Bill Alden

Jackson Kraemer was invited to play for the Great Britain squad in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-23 Baseball World Cup last fall in China but was unable to make the trip.

But this summer, former Hun School standout Kraemer, who currently plays for the University of Richmond, was able to play for the Great Britain team in the U-23 Baseball European Championship in the Czech Republic.

Making the most of the opportunity, Kraemer starred in center field and batted .267 with a .713 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) and four RBIs in the tourney that saw Great Britain top host Czech Republic 9-7 in the final to win its first-ever Euro title.

For Kraemer, the journey to the Czech Republic was hardly a smooth ride as he had to bounce back from elbow surgery.

“I had multiple bone chips,” said Kraemer, whose mother was born in London, enabling him to get a British passport. “The whole last summer, I did rehab and in the fall, I did rehab. I was able to start getting back in things in the spring but we had our lineup set. It was just do whatever was asked of me that year. I was definitely at full strength this spring. I was happy about that.”

After playing for the Worcester Bravehearts of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) earlier this summer, Kraemer joined the Great Britain squad in Czech Republic in late July.

“We had meetings over the summer on Zoom, we had a sense of what everyone was and what our mission was,” said Kraemer, who was joined by his younger brother Will, a recently graduated Hun standout, in Worcester and on the British team. “We had a week of training in Prague to just solidify starting roles and all of that stuff in Czech. We kind of jelled together. We did professional collegiate practices to get your individual stuff for pitchers and hitters – bullpens, BP, and infield.”

Great Britain started Group B play by defeating Israel 7-0 on August 5.

“We didn’t know what to expect from Israel because we didn’t get their roster until the night before that first game,” said Kraemer. “They can pull from a lot of good players. We were very skeptical about that, we didn’t want to underestimate them. They had some good guys. It was a good first win for us for sure.”

While the British fell 3-0 to the Czech Republic in its next Group game, Kraemer took some positives from that effort.

“That Czech game was awesome,” said Kraemer. “It was under the lights and there were around 1,500 cheering fans. Our pitchers threw good, we just couldn’t get any runs for our guys. It was a good experience being able to face that.”

Bouncing back from that defeat, Great Britain edged France 4-3 to clinch a spot in the knockout round of the event.

“That was huge; it was 4-2 in the seventh and they made it real close,” said Kraemer. “That was just all-around a good team effort for the pitching side and the hitting side.”

In the semis, the British overcame a 2-0 first inning deficit to top the Netherlands 7-4.

“The Netherlands are a really good team, they are ranked 8th in the world,” said Kraemer, who went 1-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs in the win. “We know that we were going to get a good game against them. We played them in the European Cup two years ago in the championship and they beat us pretty bad. We knew this game was important to get revenge for that team before us. Winning that semifinal game would clinch a World Cup appearance for us next year. It was a hard-fought game. Our bats opened up towards the later part of the game. I was happy to keep adding to that run total that we had.”

Getting a rematch with the Czechs in the final on August 9, the British were determined to earn the title.

“Our coach (Jonathon Cramman) said this is the second time we have been in this spot and the last time it wasn’t a really good performance,” said Kraemer. “I think a lot of the guys were just still on the high of making it to that World Cup so our coach said our goal is to qualify but the mission is to win the whole tournament. He said that from day one of camp. We knew we were going to see those guys eventually.”

Achieving that mission seemed unlikely when Great Britain fell behind 7-0 heading into the bottom of the third. But the British responded with five runs in the bottom of the frame and four more in the sixth and help on for a 9-7 win.

“I remember in the outfield, we were switching pitchers and I was looking up and thinking it was a good experience to be here,” said Kraemer. “We have the worst odds to come back but it was just relax. The whole team kind of relaxed and just went swinging. We had a home run and then a pop fly to left field and their guy overthrew it. It was crazy, we were just happy to be in a spot where we could keep adding runs. No team in that tournament put a lot of pressure on the Czechs. We knew that if we put a couple of runs, they would start to freeze a little bit. Once it was 7-4, we had full confidence that we would be able to get those runs.”

In the bottom of the seventh, the British defense froze for an instant as the right fielder lost a fly ball in the lights with two runners on base and Kraemer swooped in to make the grab for the final out to seal the win.

“The lights there only get so high so any ball that goes up in the air, it is literally a free-for-all; you can’t see it on the way up, you can only see it on the way down,” recalled Kraemer. “I have to make sure I can get behind the right fielder if he can’t see it or the left fielder if he can’t see it. On that last play, the right fielder was calling ‘ball, ball, ball’ and I am like all right, he is going to catch it and we are going to win. This is all happening in a span of like an eight seconds. He tells me he lost it. I am like, ‘We have guys at second and third, if we drop this, they are scoring and it’s a tie game and all hell could break loose.’ I don’t know where the ball is. I am just trying to go where he is. I see it last second sneaking behind my head; I went to go grab it and I caught it. It was just a reaction at that point. It was a tough ball to catch.”

Afterward, there was an emotional reaction for the British as they celebrated the landmark title, the first ever for the country in WBSC competition.

“To be able to be the first Great Britain team to win gold in any age group for baseball and softball, that was really huge for us,” said Kraemer. “Our coach is from England and he gives his heart and soul to the program. It meant a lot to him winning that championship and it meant a lot for us too.”

While the Great Britain team included several U.S. players, there was an emotional connection with the British cause throughout the squad.

“We were all there for a common goal,” said Kraemer. “A lot of teams just called us Americans but we all had some connection to Great Britain. We had that first meeting and we were going around the table and just sharing our lineage. We had kids who had parents who were from England and passed away and they are playing for them. We had a kid who overcame cancer a couple of years ago and he is just grateful to be able to play. All of those people are crying telling the stories. It doesn’t matter if we just met each other, we instantly knew that we all can play for something together. I think that is what led our team to having the success that we did.”

For Kraemer, playing with his brother, who is joining the Pepperdine University squad this fall, added to the experience.

“I knew I was playing with him for the summer in Worcester, that was an awesome time,” said Kraemer. “To be able to play with him for Great Britain was awesome. I think it will probably be one of the last times we will share a field together. It was just awesome to be able to do that with your brother, not a lot of kids can say that.”

Looking ahead to his final campaign at Richmond, Kraemer is hoping to play a lot for the Spiders. In 2024, Kraemer hit .242 in 28 games and also made 11 appearances on the mound. This spring as he came back from injury he went 1-for-2 at the plate in seven games and pitched in four games.

“Our whole outfield has kind of cleared out so there is pretty much a free-for-all to get that role,” said Kraemer, who will have one more college season left after graduating from Richmond and is planning to play as a grad student. “I have been grateful to be on the field there but now I want to secure a role and be an everyday guy for them hitting. Pitching-wise, I think I am probably going to put that on the back burner and mainly focus on hitting.”

In Kraemer’s view, his experience with the Great Britain team this summer has given him a fresh perspective on the game.

“Playing international baseball is the purest form of baseball, I truly believe,” said Kraemer, who is planning to play for the British team when it competes in the U-23 Baseball World Cup next year in Nicaragua. “The stats and how you are doing is irrelevant, the whole mission is to win which I think is how we all used to think about baseball when we were little. To play that loose, to play that free and play on a stage that big and to take that into Richmond, I think it is going to do me wonders this year.”