Marc Krauss thought he'd play football in college.
In his final performance as a wide receiver for Patrick Henry High School, the Deshler, Ohio, native pulled down eight catches for 207 yards and two touchdowns to help the Patriots win the 2005 Division V Championship, the school's first state football title.
Bowling Green, Toledo, Akron and others came calling for the 6-feet, 3-inch wideout, who holds the Ohio state record for most career receiving touchdowns (46) and is second in career receiving yards (3,460).
But when he sat in the coach's office at Bowling Green, with a scholarship offer on the table in front of him, Krauss turned it down.
He couldn't forget about baseball.
I couldn't take those offers
Krauss said. It wasn't because I didn't want to play football but it was because I didn't want to just forget about baseball like that.
Unforgettable
Krauss hit .481 over his career as a catcher for the Patriots, but by the time he decided to pursue baseball, many college scouts already wrote him off as a football player.
Baseball, the sport he couldn't forget, seemed to forget about him. Well, not completely.
Ohio coach Joe Carbone told Krauss to focus on his football season that fall, the freshman recalled, and when the Bobcats still remembered him in the spring, Krauss had another reason to consider Ohio.
(Scouts) just kind of forgot about me and didn't pay attention Krauss said, but coach Carbone stuck with me. Luckily somebody did. I really wanted to come down and check this place out if they wanted me that bad.
Fortunately for the Bobcats, they didn't forget Krauss, who now, in his freshman season, leads Ohio at the plate with his .365 average.
'Still learning'
With a platoon of catchers already at Ohio, Krauss moved to the outfield and first base, where he starts for the Bobcats.
I'm definitely still learning
Krauss said. First base is tough; you've got to know the situations more and you have to react to the balls quicker.
Senior Jon Vondrell helped Krauss make the transition to first base back in winter workouts and sees the improvement the newcomer has made.
Early on he was doing a lot of outfield stuff too; now he's been over (at first base) every day
Vondrell said. He's been taking ground balls before the game and he's been doing real well. I've been real impressed.
Not only did Krauss need to adapt to a new defensive position, but he also needed to adjust to college pitchers. When the Bobcats entered Mid-American Conference play in late March, he was batting .238, still far from what he was capable of.
In that first MAC series at Northern Illinois, it became apparent to assistant coach Scott Malinowski that the freshman was becoming more comfortable at the plate.
Early in the season
he was almost too non-aggressive
Malinowski explained. I think he finally started to believe that he could drive the ball more than he ever has.
With help from Malinowski, Krauss worked to iron out his swing, and in the Bobcats' next game, March 27 against Youngstown State, the freshman's confidence and mechanics clicked as he hit his first three collegiate home runs.
Krauss wouldn't cool off either. He tacked on three more home runs over the next four games to wrap up a five-game stretch where he went 10-for-21 with seven runs scored and 12 RBIs. His average jumped to .319 after that performance and it has steadily improved to where it now sits at .365.Success at the plate brought Krauss attention from opponents, who cannot afford to forget about the freshman first baseman now batting in the Bobcats' third slot.
It's different when teams are pitching around you
intentionally walking you or bringing in lefties just to face you
Krauss said. It's respect
but it's more of a challenge too
because I still want to produce for the team.
I don't want to be just another guy you can forget about out there.",",17,Archives,Katie Carrera,200704254282midsize.jpg,Marc Krauss slides in to score the game winning run of Ohio's victory in the second game of their triple header with Ball State as center fielder Willie Walker watches.,",",",","
19714,2007-04-25 06:10:00,Baseball: From touchdowns to homeruns,",Marc Krauss thought he'd play football in college.
In his final performance as a wide receiver for Patrick Henry High School
