麻豆视频

If you watch Kylie Kruger play softball, it might look like she is a natural at the game. But her on-field success is the product of years of hard work.

“I worked really hard when I was younger and all of that hard work has made me who I am now,” Kruger said. “Softball does seem to come naturally to me, but I’ve also been blessed to have the ability to play for good coaches and with good teammates.”

All of that hard work has been paying off during her two years at Delaware Tech. In 2022, Kruger led the team with 54 hits and had a perfect fielding percentage while playing first, second, and third base. She was named the team’s most valuable player and earn National Junior College Athletic Association Region 19 All-Region honors.

“When I heard Coach Guy (Wilkins) call my name as MVP, I was honestly so stoked,” Kruger said. “There were so many players on the team who deserved it.”

This year, Kruger is tied for second on the team with hits and has continued her role as a utility infielder, playing all three infield positions again so far this season. On April 26 in the first game of a doubleheader against Mercer County Community College, Kruger recorded her 100th career hit. She achieved that milestone in just 71 games, the second-fastest in school history. She has 104 career hits as of April 27.

“I really didn’t know 100 hits was something that was possible,” she said. “But now that I’m in the record books, it feels good to be part of the program’s history.”

Kruger said she owes her consistent hitting to years of practice and the strong, determined mindset she has developed over the years.

“At the plate, I’m just trying to be patient while looking for my pitch,” she said. “I have really good hand-eye coordination and I think I see the ball very well.

“I’m also determined not to let a pitcher strike me out. Whether it’s high or low I’m going to put it in play.”

As she was playing Little League and getting into softball, Kruger was also doing gymnastics. She said the years of handstands and gymnastics workouts gave her the strong foundation that she has today, which has allowed her to overcome some serious injuries.

In her junior year at Sussex Technical High School, Kruger suffered a severe concussion that kept her home and isolated for three months. Once she was cleared to return to school, the COVID-19 pandemic started and she returned home and lost her junior season.

For most of her softball career, Kruger was a pitcher. During her senior season at Sussex Tech, she began losing feeling in her right arm as she was pitching. Eventually she was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS), a nerve and blood vessel impingement disorder. While she says, “I couldn’t feel my arm half the time,” Kruger was named a Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association All-State pitcher with a 2.53 ERA.

TOS originally only bothered Kruger when she was pitching, but during the summer of 2022 she noticed pain and numbness in her arm during daily activities. She visited Johns Hopkins Hospital in the fall to get treatment to allow her to finish her second softball season at Delaware Tech – which she already knew going into the season was going to be her last year playing competitive softball.

“Since this is my last season playing softball I’ve really tried to cherish it more and soak in the moments,” Kruger said. “I’ve enjoyed my time at Delaware Tech because our coaches and my teammates make it a happy and fun environment and that makes it fun to play.”

Kruger will graduate in May with a degree in elementary education. She hopes to be accepted into Delaware Tech’s Bachelor of Science in Education program in the fall and remain at Delaware Tech for another two years. Eventually, she hopes to start coaching softball at some level.