A freshman on a Kent State team that won over 30 games, Kolenda comes to Keene for the summer after a mighty impressive debut season with the Golden Flashes that saw him pitch to a 2.86 ERA and 0.81 WHIP while holding opponents to a .156 batting average over his first 19 appearances, all out of the bullpen. He made his collegiate debut on February 18 against Jacksonville, firing a scoreless inning, and overall had 12 multi-strikeout appearances. At Avonworth High School in Pittsburgh, Kolenda was a two-year team captain and also played basketball (and was a captain), a class officer, a member of the National Honor Society, and named 2022 Avonworth Athlete of the Year.