After Late Start, Kruse Lands At Northern Kentucky

PLEASANT RIDGE - Ryan Kruse has some advice for any youngster with aspirations to play college baseball.

“Work hard and get yourself out there,” Kruse said. “If you put in the work and show you can play at the college level, someone will find you and pick you up.”

That was the case for the U of D Jesuit senior, who is now a Northern Kentucky commit despite only recently entering the recruiting process.

“I got on the scene late,” the 67th-rated 2022 in Michigan explained. “I did not have the knowledge to get out on the recruiting scene until my sophomore year and then Covid hit, so there was nothing until this June. I went to a couple PBR showcases and that helped a lot. Putting stuff on Twitter and joining the Indiana Prospects also helped.”

Interest eventually came this past summer.

“I was talking to a wide variety of schools in the Big 10 and MAC,” noted Kruse, who at the time of his commitment had offers from Fairleigh Dickinson, Niagara and Grand Valley State along with solid interaction from Davenport, Western Michigan and a number of other MAC schools.

“The whole thing was hectic,” the 17-year-old reflected. “It’s good to be over with so I can focus on getting better and onto college ball.”

It wasn’t until after his senior year of high school started that Northern Kentucky and Kruse made a connection.

“They saw me this fall for the first time and we started talking,” Kruse related. “They gave me an offer a couple weeks later and I went down to check it out. They have nice facilities and a nice campus. It’s also in a good location near Cincinnati.”

There was another aspect that stood out about the Horizon League school.

“They like me as a two-way guy, primarily off the mound,” the fifth-ranked 2022 third baseman in Michigan said. “They like my pitchability, my ability to spin the ball with multiple off speed pitches and my projectability to throw hard.”

The chance to also play in the field in addition to pitch was important in the eyes of the 6-1, 215-pounder.

“A couple of the bigger schools I was talking to wanted me just as a pitcher,” Kruse pointed out. “But I was leaning more to people that wanted me as a two-way. I see the potential with both and don’t want to give one up until I see them both through.”

Improvement in each area of his game proved beneficial in receiving the opportunity to do both at the next level.

“As a freshman and sophomore in high school I saw myself as a hitter and infielder, that was my focus,” Kruse explained. “I was trying to do that at the college level. But then my junior year I had a huge jump with velo. I went from the high-70s to touching 89 this summer, so there was potential to go two-way in my recruiting.”

Kruse credited an arm program with Prime Time and working out at 2SP as big reasons for the jump in velocity, while pointing to his parents, hitting coach Chris Newell and coaches at U of D Jesuit as well as the Indiana Prospects with playing key roles in helping get where he is in the game of baseball today.

“I’m really looking forward to the competition and being able to compete with guys fighting for a spot and against guys with high-level talent,” noted Kruse, who lives four hours from the Northern Kentucky campus. “Hopefully, we can make it to the College World Series.”

A 3.6 student considering a major in kinesiology, exercise science or physical therapy. Kruse believes he can be a big part of helping that CWS dream materialize.

“I can bring a lot of things to the program,” Kruse said. “Pitching and getting it done on the mound while also offering offensive potential, I can help the team from both sides of the ball.”