Freddy Kraus eyes K record

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Freddy Kraus eyes K record

Sports

Friday, 26 February 2010 08:44

By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor
You can tell that you’ve had a pretty good career as a softball pitcher when your strikeout totals also can be used to identify Boeing jetliners: 707, 717, 727, etc.
It’s no wonder, then, that Celebration’s Jessica “Freddy” Kraus is flying high these days.
At 716, she is closing in on former Osceola High pitcher Megan Hord’s five-year-old strikeout record of 717.
Kraus has another reason to celebrate because she has signed a softball grant to the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne during the early signing period in November.
“I want to study computer engineering, so for me that’s a place I always had a lot of interest in. That’s like one of the top schools in the country for what I want to study,” Kraus said.
The fact that the campus is near the beach doesn’t hurt.
“I love the beach,” she said. “When I talked to the coaches and the players there, it was great. It’s a place where I want to be.”
Meanwhile, she will try to carry the Storm into the 4A District 6 tournament as a high seed.
The team is off to a 2-3 start, including a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over Freedom High last week.
“That’s one of the games I’ll remember, because we had a runner on first base and two outs, but we were able to come back and win. That was great,” Kraus said.
Things didn’t go as well this past week as Harmony and Cypress Creek defeated the Storm, as Kraus totaled 12 strikeouts.
Kraus, who picked up her nickname several years ago in travel ball, began her career at Gateway High, but transferred to Celebration as a sophomore to play for Coach Ed Kuzma.
“Freddy gives us an opportunity to win every time she goes out to the mound,” Kuzma said. “She is a tremendous competitor and a great teammate. She’s just a great person to be around. I’m happy for her that she is going to have an opportunity to play in college.”
Her best season was 2008, when she struck out 252, pitched six shutouts and a perfect game.
Kraus will soon own the county’s strikeout record even though she is throwing from 43 feet. Until 2006, the pitcher’s mound was only 40 feet from the plate.
“That makes a difference, but, actually for me, the way I pitch with a lot of movement on my ball, I like it better,” she said. “When I play at travel ball tournaments and the distance is 40 feet, it feels a little weird. The shorter distance hurts the movement.”
Kraus travels the country with the Clearwater Lady Bombers each summer, making trips to Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, to name a few places, last year.
“Almost always at least one of my parents goes with me, but I did go to Winter Haven last year after I got my driver’s license,” she said.
Her sister, Kat Kraus, was a softball player and golfer at Celebration who graduated in 2006.
Kraus learned to pitch under Keith Pereira, the former Osceola High assistant coach who runs the Osceola Overdrive travel ball league in Kissimmee.
Kraus throws five pitches: the fastball, riseball, curveball, screwball and changeup.
“I can’t remember how long I’ve been working with him, but it’s been a long time,” Kraus said. “He’s been great, I don’t know where I’d be without him.”
She said that it would be an honor to become the county’s all-time strikeout leader.
“I’m really excited,” she said. “It’s hard to believe.”
Kraus should break the strikeout record against Tavares Tuesday at Storm field.