Softball: 5-4 Loren Krzysko is answer to pop quiz

Updated: April 3, 2012 2:37PM

Like many athletes in this era of social media, Barrington junior slugger Loren Krzysko has a YouTube video showcasing her offseason workout regimen and all-around softball skills.

The most telling part of the 6-minute, 52-second video isn’t the weight-training exercises, the fielding drills, the impressive fundamentals of her hitting off the tee or the actual game tape showing a few of her home runs.

The most intriguing part for those who don’t know her happens at the 2:24 mark, when she jogs into a swarm of excited teammates after hitting a grand slam.

It’s almost comical how she disappears in the arms of her much- bigger teammates.

“One of the funniest things that happened so far this season was a dad from another team was talking to my dad but didn’t know it,” Krzysko said. “When I came up to the plate, the other dad said, ‘That’s Loren Krzysko? I expected her to be the biggest kid on the team.’ ’’

Krzysko is small in stature — 5-4 to be exact — but she works harder than anybody else. Her school-record 12 home runs last season and four through Barrington’s first seven games this season are a testament to that. With two home runs her freshman year, she’s four homers shy of the school career record of 22 set by Ashley Berggren from 1991 to 1994.

Along with the homers, she was hitting .565 with nine RBI through seven games. Krzysko also is errorless at third base in 21 chances. According to Barrington coach Perry Peterson, her arm is “laser-like and accurate.”

“Loren has begun the 2012 season in spectacular fashion,” Peterson said. “Her five-tool skills have really been noticeable. It just goes to show how things can change for those who elect to work hard, get stronger and improve over time.”

Krzysko credits her dad, Chris, for the best hitting advice she ever received.

“He has always told me to track and hit the middle of the ball,” she said. “Almost every at-bat, I hear him shout it from wherever he’s standing, and if he’s not yelling it out, I say it to myself.”

Krzysko is still undecided on a college, but she’s being courted by schools in the Southeastern Conference, the Horizon League and the Ohio Valley Conference.

“Softball has been a huge part of my life, and it has taught me really important life lessons,” Krzysko said. “I’ve had incredible coaches like coach Peterson and my Northern ICE travel coach Cray Allen, who have helped me to develop my softball skills and taught me how to be a competitor.

“I really enjoy working hard, and whenever I have free time, I’m in the gym. I love the feeling of hard work and knowing it will pay off during the season. It shows that anything is possible if you push hard enough and have the right attitude.”

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