Patrick Kulick {courtesy family}
By: Matt Rothman
It has been almost ten months since Patrick Kulick suddenly passed away, but his memory has not been forgotten.
A Coral Springs resident and 2011 graduate from Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Patrick’s true passion was baseball.
A former varsity player for the Eagles, the team is honoring their former pitcher and left-handed hitter by retiring his jersey, number 19. In addition, they are naming the batting cages after Patrick and inducting him into the new Hall of Fame before their home opener on Tuesday, March 8, 2022.
Patrick began playing baseball at age seven with the North Springs Little League, then travel ball with the Coral Springs Pirates, FTB Baseball, and then the Florida Legends before four years of varsity baseball at MSD. During his junior year, he was the team’s MVP.
Patrick Kulick when he played at Oglethorpe University.
After receiving numerous college offers, including from the University of Miami, Patrick enrolled at Nova Southeastern University to be reunited with his Coach Felipe Suarez. He completed his baseball career at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, GA graduating cum laude with a B.S. in Business Administration and later earned his MBA from St. Leo University in Florida.
After his playing career ended, he stayed to coach and recruit for Oglethorpe University. In 2018, he landed the #1 ranked recruited class in the NCAA D-3 in the nation. He also worked as an Admissions Director for the University. Two years ago, he returned home to Coral Springs, where he worked at USI Electronics as a product manager.
Patrick, Kathy, Walter, Kelly, and Michael Kulick {courtesy family}
The son of Dr. Walter and Kathleen Kulick, Patrick was strong and worked out every day, Walter recalls.
Last May, he told his parents he had a headache and said it was the worst one he ever had. His father set an appointment with a neurologist, but he wasn’t feeling any better the following day. He was taken to the emergency room at NW Regional Hospital, where he lost consciousness.
Patrick was transported to Memorial Children’s Hospital, where he died of a cerebral hemorrhage four days later, never regaining consciousness. It was discovered he had acute leukemia — but never knew.
Patrick was 28 and left behind his sister Kelly, brother Michael, nephew Quinn Patrick, and countless relatives.
Former Head Coach Frank Pisano said in over 20 years of coaching, Patrick was one of the most special players he had ever coached.
“If anybody deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, it’s Patrick. He was the most valuable player all four years and an incredible person both on and off the field.”
The ceremony is being held from 5:15 p.m. – 6:15 p.m. and will be live-streamed on YouTube. Patrick Kulick Jersey Retirement Ceremony.
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Author Profile
- Matt Rothman is a 2018 graduate from Florida Gulf Coast University receiving his bachelor’s degree in journalism and then graduated from the University of Florida as a graduate student. He also works for the Mohave Valley Daily News in Bullhead City, Arizona covering high school sports.
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