Kruczynski a Candidate for College Baseball's Senior CLASS Award
OVERLAND PARK, Kansas – East Carolina senior pitcher Evan Kruczynski has been named among 30 candidates vying for the 2017 Senior CLASS Award in college baseball.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
Kruczynski, who sports a 3.23 cumulative GPA in recreation and park management, is a two-time American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team selection and a four-time ECU Directors of Athletics Honor Roll member.
An active member in the community, Kruczynski has helped the Pirates devote nearly 2,000 hours working with various programs in the Pitt County as the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, Team IMPACT, Riley's Army, Cypress Glenn Retirement Community Flood Relief, Red Cross, First Born Community Development Center and the James, ACES for Autism, Make-A-Wish Foundation and the James and Connie Maynard Children's Hospital.
On the year, Kruczynski has appeared in three games posting a 0-1 record with a 5.52 ERA before suffering an injury. Prior to the start of the season, he was named one of three team co-captains, selected to a pair of preseason All-America Teams (Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game) as well as The American Co-Pitcher-of-the-Year by the leagues eight head coaches.
The lefty, who earned All-America honors in 2016 from D1Baseball and Perfect Game, posted an 8-1 record with an American Athletic Conference best 2.01 ERA in 17 starts. He struck out 95, walked 27 and allowed 32 runs (26 earned) on 107 hits in 116.2 innings – which was second most on the school's single-game charts.
Kruczynski became the 11th hurler to win the school's pitching Triple Crown, leading the Pirates in wins, ERA and strikeouts. He tallied 14 quality starts (6.0 IP and three or less runs) and set a career high with 13 strikeouts against Tulane on April 8. The Franklin, Wisc. native earned first-team all-conference honors and was one of five Pirates named to the Charlottesville All-Regional Team. He picked up the program's first-ever super regional win (8-6), allowing three runs (all earned) on six hits in 5.2 innings against No. 5 National Seed Texas Tech in the Lubbock Super Regional.
During his four-year career with the Pirates, Kruczynski owns a 16-6 record in 39 appearances (36 starts) with a 2.80 ERA. He has struck out 184 batters while walking just 57 in 231.2 innings.
The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four C's of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2017 College World Series in June.
