Former Dragons catcher will represent Reds organization in Olympics

“I just want to try to bring home a gold,” Kolozsvary said. “That would be something pretty cool to do. I’ve been a part of some big games in college. This would be something pretty cool to accomplish.”

The team, which also includes former Reds third baseman Todd Frazier, will train at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C., from July 16-20. It plays its first game at the Tokyo Olympics on July 30 against Israel. The United States also will compete against the Dominican Republic, Japan, Korea and Mexico in the six-team field.

Kolozsvary, a seventh-round pick in 2017, played for the national team during qualifying from May 31-June 5. He started all four games and hit .417 (5-for-12) with two home runs and three RBIs.

With Chattanooga, Kolozsvary has hit .265 with three home runs in 26 games. He learned he had made the Olympic team weeks ago when Team USA manager Mike Scioscia sent him a text message.

“I think I did pretty well in the qualifying,” Kolozsvary said. “From everything I heard, I was pretty sure (I had made the team). You never know for sure, but it was good to finally get a definite answer.”

Fourteen players on the team have spent time in the big leagues. Three players rank among baseball’s top-100 prospects. Kolozsvary ranked 30th on a MLB.com list, published before the season, of the Reds’ top-30 prospects.

Kolozsvary started his pro career in 2017 with Billings (Mont.) at the rookie level and played the entire 2018 season with the Dayton Dragons. He played for the Single-A Daytona Tortugas in 2019 and played at the Reds’ alternate training site in Mason in 2020 when the minor-league season was cancelled because of the pandemic.

“His all-around game has improved tremendously,” Chattanooga manager Ricky Gutierrez said. “He’s worked hard. We’ve been together since 2019. I’ve seen his progress. I’m just so proud of him.”