2013 OF Alex Krupa commits to Indiana
October 12, 2011
At the beginning of 2011, Alex Krupa was just your average high school player with the hopes and dreams of one day earning the opportunity to play college baseball. He was relatively unknown amongst the baseball circles in Indiana, but was looking for a way to get his name out there. His first step in securing those hopes and dreams was attending a PBR Indiana showcase in Indianapolis back in February along with 83 other players from across the state.
Krupa quickly impressed the PBR Indiana staff by running a 6.50 sixty, an event best. This was the fastest ran sixty the staff had seen all winter long, and instantly made Krupa a player to keep eye on not only throughout the rest of the showcase, but throughout the high school and summer baseball season. During the event, Krupa showcased his skills as a second basemen, displaying good arm strength across the field, quick feet, and good but not great fielding mechanics. After watching him take infield in person and then again watching him on video, the PBR staff was all in agreement that he belonged in the outfield, not the infield.
As the 2011 high school season began, Krupa was at the top of PBR Indiana’s list of players to follow throughout the season. He was Greenwood High School’s starting second baseman and hit in the two-hole. At the plate, Krupa dominated, leading the state in hits for most of the year, hitting a stellar .544, scoring 30 runs and stealing 17 bags. His offensive stats alone should have been enough for college coaches to take notice, however he was not receiving the attention he deserved. The lack of attention from colleges led Krupa to contact PBR once again, asking for advice.
“I felt like I worked extremely hard during the preseason and throughout the regular season, and I was getting the results I expected from that hard work. My main goal for the year was to contribute to my team’s success, but still had hopes of getting the attention of college coaches and to be recruited. Towards the end of the high school season, and no interest from college coaches, I contacted PBR for help. They once again told me I projected as an outfielder at the next level and not an infielder. That was when I decided I wanted to make the change for good, and start working on my outfield skills.”
Once the summer season began, Krupa had already begun his transition to the outfield. Though his skills were raw, he played a decent outfield during the summer season and continued his domination at the plate. His final stats for the summer included a .517 BA, 41 Runs, 30 RBI, and an impressive 42 stolen bases.
At the conclusion of the summer season, Krupa was still frustrated with the lack of interest from college coaches. By the end of July he had no offers and very little interest. Although college coaches and scouts weren’t noticing Krupa, the PBR Indiana staff was. At the end of July PBR was getting ready for its inaugural Under Armour Mid-West Futures games in Chicago, featuring the best prospects in the 2013 class from Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and Ohio. The Indiana staff offered an invite to Krupa earlier in the spring to participate in the event, but reiterated their interest for his participation several times over the course of the summer.
“I was very appreciative of the invite to participate in the Futures Games. At first it was something I thought would be fun to do, but after the summer season was over and still not getting the attention of college coaches, I felt this was something I needed to do.”
On day one of the two day event at the Futures Games, Team Indiana participated in a pre-game showcase before their game against Team Ohio. Once again, Krupa impressed not only his Team Indiana Coaches, but the 40 plus college and pro scouts in attendance with his speed by running another 6.50 sixty. However this time, it wasn’t only his speed that caught everyone’s attention, but his arm strength caught the attention of many as he threw 85 mph from the outfield on several of his throws during the fielding portion of the showcase.
“Going into the Futures Games I knew there would be several college scouts attending, but had no idea there would be so many. I kept looking up in the stands and seeing coaches from Virginia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Indiana, Michigan State, Coastal Carolina, Wake Forest, Missouri, it seemed like everyone in the country was there. I knew I made the right choice by playing for Team Indiana and that this was my opportunity to finally get their attention.”
Krupa impressed throughout the weekend during his two games, stealing 4 bases, getting 4 hits, and playing a solid outfield.
“I felt really good coming out of the Future’s Games. The experience was unbelievable and I can’t thank the PBR Indiana staff enough for allowing me the opportunity to take part in the very first Mid-West Futures Game event. I’d recommend it to anyone in the future who’s lucky enough to get invited.”
Krupa had every reason to feel good. After the completion of the Under Armour Mid-West Futures games, his recruiting process finally began. Division 1 baseball programs from Indiana, Louisville, Michigan State, Kentucky, Wake Forest, and Costal Carolina all showed major interest in the 5-foot-10 inch outfielder from Greenwood High School.
“The week after the Futures Games was one of the best weeks of my life. I went from nothing as far as recruiting goes, to several D-1 schools wanting me.”
With all the interest finally coming in, one school clearly stood out from the rest for Krupa; Indiana University.
“I was able to visit I.U. along with some other schools, but at the end of the day I.U. was clearly the better fit for me. They had what I wanted as far as academics and baseball goes. I really enjoyed the attitude of the coaches and the whole idea of playing for Indiana because I’ve always played with Indiana across my chest.”
“The baseball staff at I.U. didn’t seem to care about me just playing baseball, but seemed really interested in me as a person. They wanted to know what I wanted to do as far as a career goes, and what I see myself doing in life after baseball. They, along with the players already down there seemed like family, and that’s the type of atmosphere I really wanted.”
Krupa’s choice of committing to I.U. was a not a difficult one. He expects to get the opportunity to contribute right away, and expectations for him are high. With a new baseball facility going up in the next year, a recent history of players getting drafted, and playing in the Big Ten were all major reasons for Krupa’s decision to commit to Indiana University and their baseball program.
“There were many reasons why I chose to commit to I.U., but the biggest one has to be that it’s close to home and my family will have the opportunity to watch every game. My dad has watched almost every game I have ever played in and I wanted that to continue. He’s had a huge impact on my life and baseball.”
Now that the hopes and dreams of playing college baseball has become a reality for Krupa, his focus is now on his junior year at Greenwood High School and playing for Head Coach Andy Bass.
“We have some good talent returning this spring and should have a really good team. I know a lot of the guys and I have been working hard this fall to get ready for next spring, so we’re pretty excited to see what we can do once we get out on the field.”