an article online about Kreis
Kreis, a hard-throwing right-hander from Grand Forks, dominated the Dakota Athletic Conference the past two seasons and was named the league's Pitcher of the Year twice.
He's hired an agent (Wade Hollenbeck), gotten very positive reviews from at least three teams and threw a bullpen session for the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks on Thursday.
He and JC head baseball coach Tom Hager are both optimistic about his chances, but the draft process is nothing if not unpredictable.
"You're talking about a guy who has worked his tail off for four years and has made major strides from Year 1 to Year 4 and he deserves a ton of credit for becoming a pro baseball prospect," Hager said. "I have a lot of respect for how he's been able to get better each year physically, but I think the biggest area of his game that he improved the most is the mental aspect where he's able to handle adversity on and off the field much better.
"Over the last sixth months you can really notice a change in him. He's ready to be a professional."
Kreis certainly has the "stuff" pro scouts require. He was consistently clocked in the 91-92 mile-per-hour range with the RedHawks on Thursday. And he's been told by three teams so far that his name has been, "turned in," which is code for being on a team's draft board.
He'll go down as one of the top pitchers ever to wear orange and black. He went 21-5 in his career, including 7-3 this year. He allowed just 52 hits in 66 1/3 innings with 70 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.85.
His path should serve as a blueprint for other young players.
He was not highly recruited, picking the Jimmies over Mayville State and a handful of quality JUCOs, but it was a match that worked out well.
"I'm very thankful for the opportunity I had here to work with great coaches and a bunch of great teammates," he said. "Looking back, I wouldn't do anything different."
Getting drafted would obviously mean a great deal to Kreis and his family, but it goes beyond that.
"If it were to happen, it wouldn't just be for me. It'd be great for our program, for the school, for our conference. It's bigger than just Alex Kreis," he said. "A lot of people have really helped me out along the way and this would be something we could all feel good about."
