Krawchuk signs on the dotted line
Carter Krawchuk is officially a Purdue Boilermaker.
The 18-year-old St. Catharines native recently signed to accept a scholarship to play baseball at the National Collegiate of Athletic Association, Division 1 university beginning in 2022.
Krawchuk, who verbally committed to the university in the summer of 2020, is still deciding on a major.
“I wasn’t officially a Boilermaker until I signed that paper,” the St. Francis graduate said. “It’s a relief because nothing is a guarantee until you officially sign and put pen to paper.
“It’s not actually real until you do that and when you do you get that surreal feeling that it’s actually happening and you’re going to that school.”
Krawchuk committed to the university without seeing the campus in person due to travel restrictions last year with to the COVID pandemic. He did manage to see the school in June while he was playing summer ball in the Indiana area when he was taken on an unofficial visit. He was blow away with the facilities.
“I’ve been to Canadian universities but nothing even comes close,” he said. “This is a whole town, it’s not just an area, it’s a town.
“It’s unreal.”
Krawchuk, who will go on an official visit with other committed players next month, spent a good deal of time down south pitching for a variety of tournament teams. The right-handed pitcher threw 115 innings over 14 tournaments and said his fastball velocity is up to 91 miles-per-hour.
Krawchuk loved the competition.
“It was the best players in the midwest,” said Krawchuk, who also played for Team Canada in a tournament run out of Ajax this summer. “We got asked to play summer ball and with no other baseball going on in Canada at the time we decided to go to the States to play just like other players did.
“It was the best of the best. We went to some of the biggest tournaments. We went to Atlanta, Houston, Kentucky. It was a bit of a test but I enjoyed it. I enjoy playing people who are good.”
Krawchuk said he loved how seriously the sport is taken in the States.
“In Canada, it’s such a different environment than being in the States where people do that for a living and know that’s going to be their job so every time they’re fighting for a job and trying to get committed,” he said. “I like the competition a lot more down there because I know they take it super-seriously and it’s a lifestyle to them just like it is to me.”
One of the highlights of Krawchuk’s summer was playing in the Perfect Game Tournament where he met Florida Marlins shortstop Jazz Chishom and Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell.
Krawchuk had developed some elbow issues previously but said his arm feels great after working with the Purdue coaches on arm conditioning.
“My arm didn’t hurt once this year because we’ve been doing programs that help keep your arm healthy throughout the year,” he said. “We focused on trying to throw hard but at the same time trying to maintain your arm and make sure it’s healthy.”
Krawchuk feels he has the stuff and mindset to achieve success at the next level.
“I want to throw as many strikes as I can,” he said. “When you get down to places like Purdue, they don’t care how hard you throw, they care if you get outs. If I can just pound the zone with what I have, I know I have good stuff. If I can just locate with my pitches and get outs as much as I can, I should be good.”
This off-season Krawchuk is working out indoors three days a week while also holding down a full-time job at the Port Dalhousie Marina.
He is also focused on putting on some weight to his wiry frame. He has already added seven pounds and would like to add another 10.
“It’s just a matter of eating four or five meals a day working out as much as I can to try and gain some pounds,” he said.
He plans to play next summer in either a college summer league or draft league in the States to get prepared for his freshman season at Purdue.
“They are going to want me to play at least part of the summer down there so they can see how I progressed,” he said.
Krawchuk If you liked this story or one of the 3,700 other stories found on our website, please consider hitting the Support Us button on the right-hand side of our home page and making a PayPal contribution to our website. Your support would be much appreciated. If you are a business owner, please consider advertising on our site. Our rates are reasonable and we provide plenty of exposure for your business. Contact bpotrecz@outlook.com for more information.
