Mizzou commit Laurin Krings dominated high school competition as pitcher and hitter
LOVELAND, Colo. (BVM) — Laurin Krings had potential when she began her high school softball career. But no one could’ve expected her to dominate the competition the way she did over her final two seasons with the Loveland Indians.
“I haven’t seen anything like it,” Loveland head coach Mike Felton said. “As a freshman and as a sophomore she had some talent, but something happened between her sophomore and junior years.”
Krings set a state record with 398 strikeouts and recorded a 0.65 ERA as a junior. As a senior last fall, she posted a career-best 0.59 ERA and struck out 339, compiling the most Ks in the state in back-to-back seasons.
As exceptional as Krings was in the circle, she was also the most dangerous Indians hitter the last two years. As a junior, she batted .500 with 15 home runs and 48 RBIs. As a senior, she hit .455 with 11 home runs and 30 RBIs. She became so feared at the plate that she was intentionally walked 31 times last season alone.
“I haven’t seen a combo like that,” Felton said of Krings’ dominance as a hitter and a pitcher. “And if she wanted to she could’ve been our best outfielder as well. She was an amazing kid. I don’t know if we’re going to see one like that again for a while.”
In May, she was named the Gatorade Colorado Softball Player of the Year for the second straight year.
“I’m really honored to get that,” Krings said, “There are so many other great athletes who were in the running for that and now I get to join the two-timers like Shelby Babcock and other girls who were really great athletes.”
Like Babcock, a Broomfield, Colo. native and Legacy High School grad who went on to pitch for the University of Arizona, Krings will also be playing for a high-level NCAA Division I college program at the University of Missouri. And she’ll be facing elite competition in the SEC, which could be just what Krings needs to excel. Strong competition is what helped her make big strides between her sophomore and junior seasons at Loveland.
“After sophomore year I went to a (club) team called Nebraska Gold,” Krings said, “and they really helped me make that jump from sophomore to junior year and onto senior year. At tournaments, we played the highest level of softball and the best teams so that definitely made me push myself harder … I had to make sure my pitches worked and that tough competition just really helped.”
The competition at the high school level was no match for Krings last year, and that was never more evident than near the end of her historic run. In Loveland’s first-round postseason game against Rampart on Oct. 19, Krings tossed a perfect game, striking out the first 20 of the 21 batters she faced before a groundout ended the game.
“After the first two innings they would swing and miss and just look at their coach like, ‘What are we doing? We need to start bunting or something; we’re not going to hit her,’” Felton said. “And their coach would just shake his head like, ‘maybe if we keep swinging something will happen,’ but it never did.”
As Krings takes her talents to the next level at Mizzou, she’s hoping to make an immediate impact. It’s a good bet that she will, whether it’s as a pitcher or a hitter. Or both.
“I’m just going to go in and try to be the best player I can be,” Krings said.
“I think she can pitch as a freshman,” Felton said, “and if not, they’re going to find a place for her bat.”
