Kropis Ready For The Challenge Of Being A Two-Way At ETSU

Tyler Kropis 1B / LHP / Seekonk, MA / 2025

SEEKONK, Ma. - While East Tennessee State University is a 13-hour drive away, it “felt like my hometown” according to Tyler Kropis.

“I liked everything about it,” explained the Seekonk High School senior, who will be heading off to the college located in Johnson City, Tenn., in less than a year after making a commitment as a two-way player to the Southern Conference school. “It’s a small town that loves baseball. It just felt like home.”

It was last winter when the second-ranked 2025 first baseman in New England found out there was interest from ETSU.

“I was working out at my facility in the batting cages and one of my coaches came over and said he talked with East Tennessee State and that they liked me,” Kropis reflected. “They looked at some videos of me on Twitter and some PBR videos.”

An invitation to visit came and the 16th-ranked senior in Massachusetts committed soon after.

“Since I started playing baseball competitively at like 9U I’ve wanted to play college baseball and, hopefully, go to the pros,” Kropis said. “Sophomore year my work ethic to go to the gym and keep working hard picked up and it started to become realistic.

“On Aug. 1 of last year is when the flood gates opened up and a bunch of schools wanted to talk to me. It was very stressful. I went to a PBR showcase over the winter and that opened up more colleges to me. That’s when Boston College became interested.”

Northeastern, UMass Amherst, Bryant, Fairfield and Dayton were among the others the top-rated 2025 first baseman in Massachusetts was talking with, but it was ETSU that stood out in the end.

“They like how I am as a player,” Kropis said of East Tennessee State. “I’m not too cocky on the field, I keep my composure and play as hard as I can.”

That is something the 17-year-old plans to continue at the next level.

“I’ll bring a good bat and a good arm in the rotation,” Kropis related. “I’m just gonna work hard and see what happens. I know it will be a huge workload with a hitting coach and also working in the bullpen. It’s a lot more work being a two-way but it’s what I like. I like big workloads and being challenged. I’m ready to take it on head-to-head.”

The opportunity to be a two-way player was, admittedly, very important to the 43rd-ranked senior in New England.

“Most coaches saw and wanted me as a two-way, only two or three as just a PO,” Kropis noted. “The big thing for me was to keep hitting and pitching in college. I didn’t really want to pick one.”

The 6-3 205-pound left-handed hitter and southpaw gave credit to others in making an impact in his baseball journey.

“My dad helped me a lot along with all of my coaches,” Kropis said. “I didn’t know what to do or where to go and my dad helped me narrow down what was good for me. The coaches all helped give me a work ethic to be a Division I college player.”

A commitment left “everyone super excited” according to Kropis.

“They’re all ready for me to go there,” Kropis explained. “It will definitely be a challenge for my parents with me going so far away, and I know I’ll miss them, but at the end of the day I’m going there to play baseball. It will be good for me.”

Kropis plans to major in business while hoping to help bring the first Southern Conference championship in history to the ETSU program.

“I’m really looking forward to playing ball there,” Kropis concluded. “I’ve never played a lot of baseball down south but it will be fun doing that and just meeting new people.”