It turned out to be a very good way for Boyertown grad Travis Kreitz to end his college baseball career. He hit .302 in his senior season at Kutztown University this spring, led the team in home runs with eight, and was tied for second on the team n doubles with eight. He was third on the team with 17 RBIs and scored 13 runs in 38 games played.
“I think my time at Kutztown has gone great,” said Kreitz. “It’s been a great place for me to go to school and play baseball. We have been a very good team and were always in the hunt each season to win a championship. I have developed a lot of friendship with my teammates and it is just a fun place to play.”
Kreitz said that his style of hitting has changed since his days at Boyertown Area Senior High School. As his statistics show, he is hitting for a lot more power these days. He was third on the team in total bases this year with 49, but he doesn’t go up to the plate thinking about extra base hits.
“I don’t try and just focus on that (extra base hits). I try to just hit the ball where it is pitched and hit what they give me.,” said Kreitz. “My goal is to get on base every time, I don’t care how I get on as long as I get on base.”
Kreitz has been playing baseball since he was five years old. He went through the Boyertown Midget League system, played for the Grizzlies, then Jr. high, high school and legion ball at Boyertown. This past summer he played in Geneva, New York in the New York College Baseball League to stay sharp for his senior season at Kutztown University.
He, like many other Boyertown grads, has received the benefit of the coaching he received throughout the Boyertown baseball system. But he also gives a lot of the credit to his family.
“A lot of people have helped me and influenced me in baseball, but my biggest fans were my family,” said Kreitz. They would never miss a game, no matter how hot or cold I was at the time. They would always support me and help me no matter what. My mom and dad have devoted a lot of time and effort over the years to help me get to where I am at today and I am very thankful for that. My dad has spent countless years coaching me and my brother and helping us in whatever way that he could.”
When he made the transition from high school to college baseball, it went fairly smoothly. He red-shirted his freshman year which helped him tremendously. In his first season on the Golden Bears team, he his .245, hit five home runs, knocked in 26 runs and scored 24. He started as a freshman in 42 of the team’s 47 games.
As a sophomore, he only hit .248, bit had an on-base percentage of .404, thanks to 17 walks and 12 hit-by-pitches.
He struggled his junior season, hitting below. 200, starting 19 of his 35 games played, which only made his comeback senior season that much sweeter.
Despite his disappointing statistics his junior season, he still points to that season as the most memorable because of the success of the team.
“I would say the most memorable moment for me in college baseball would be winning the PSAC championship last year,” said Kreitz. “We just snuck into playoffs as the four seed and won three incredible games in a row to win the championship. To make it all that much better, we beat Millersville, probably our biggest rival in the championship game 1-0.”
Kreitz is a sports management major at Kutztown University and is working towards a second major in business administration. He would like to do something with marketing/management in a sports organization, but he would also like to coach at the college level.