Dickinson State baseball signed a homegrown talent as Kobe Krenz, a Dickinson High product, made it official and pledged to the Blue Hawks on Sunday.
Krenz is playing summer baseball for the class AA Dickinson Roughriders who are playing in the Senior Babe Ruth league this year, but in high school he also played baseball and basketball for the Midgets.
While he missed his senior season of baseball due to the coronavirus pandemic, Krenz is batting over .400 for the Roughriders so far this summer. He is their starting shortstop when he is not on the mound.
Krenz hopes to play basketball for Dickinson State, too, but he is still having discussions about that and should know sometime later this week.
“He is a very good athlete and multi-sport guy. I like to recruit multi-sport players. With us rebuilding the program, he is what we are looking for. We want athletic guys who can come in and contribute in multiple ways. I think he can do that,” said Michael Dahl, Dickinson State baseball coach.
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It came down to Dickinson State and Williston State, but Krenz is happy to have the decision behind him as now his life will be less stressful. He also believes that he can play immediately next year, either as a pitcher, in the middle of the infield or both.
With Dickinson State’s first season of baseball being back next year, he sees that as a positive.
“I kind of like it because it really shows who should be playing and who shouldn’t be right away,” Krenz said. “If it is a more established program, then a coach could play favorites, but not in this case.”
Dahl likes the mindset Krenz is coming with as he expects to play next year as a freshman.
He wants his players to think just like that, and with the program being brand new, every player will get a chance to showcase their talents to get onto the field.
Because there will be a strong need for pitchers, there is a good chance Krenz will be able to throw for the Blue Hawks immediately, and if all works out for him, he will be able to bat and play the field, too.
“I think he is a really good pitcher, and he is probably going to get some work immediately on the mound just because of what he can do,” Dahl said.
