Vermilion pitcher Jacob Krausher commits to the University of Akron

Vermilion's Jacob Krausher wasn't going to let missing his junior season stop him from achieving his goals. On Wednesday, Krausher, who was a key member of the Sailors' 2019 district championship team, committed to continue his baseball career pitching for the University of Akron. "Akron's pitching coach contacted me and everything went from there," said Krausher, who just completed his summer season with the Lake Erie Warhawks. "I had a Zoom call with all of the (Akron) coaches and then they offered me. I think they saw video of my pitching over the summer, because I know Division I coaches weren't allowed to recruit in person this summer." The last game Krausher started on the mound for Vermilion was one of the biggest in school history. He tossed a complete game in last year's Division II district finals against Shelby as the Sailors won their first district title in 28 years. "He's had a good high school career. He's a good kid on and off the field," Vermilion coach Jeff Keck said of Krausher. "He's really one of those people you're glad to see good things happen for. He works hard. He deserves it." Krausher, a right-hander, has hit 90 mph on the radar gun and has a wide variety of pitches. "Jake's a good one. He has a great fastball and he's worked really hard on his breaking stuff and his change-up," Keck said. "He's really a student of the game. He's really taken it serious and he's ready to take his game to the next level." After missing out on his junior year when the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Krausher said it took him a little time to ease back into pitching during summer ball. "Usually, high school season gets me prepared for summer season, to be ready to pitch in the summer," Krausher said. "This summer was different. It was really weird. It took a while to find my groove, but I pitched a lot so it all worked out and I ended up pitching really good." Akron recently reinstated its program with former Cincinnati Reds All-Star Chris Sabo as coach and Krausher is committed to helping the Zips get back to the top of the Mid-American Conference. "The baseball program at Akron is picking up and I want to be part of the rebuilding process for them. I want to become something great for Akron," Krausher said. "I think everything they are doing is going to come together and I want to be a part of it." Krausher had 82 strikeouts over his freshman and sophomore seasons, averaging more than a strikeout per inning. He's been valuable with a bat in his hands as well, hitting .322 in 2019 and averaging 22 RBIs over his first two seasons. Keck expects Krausher to bat in the middle of Vermilion's order, while playing a corner infield position when he's not on the mound this spring. "He's a very solid high school baseball player. I expect he's going to have a special year as a senior," Keck said. With the recruiting process out of the way, Krausher can spend his senior year focusing on helping Vermilion return to regionals. "I kinda planned on recruiting taking longer, didn't think I'd be able to commit this early but I wanted to," Krausher said. "When Akron texted me, I was really hoping they would offer me and they did. I knew it was the right time. I think it's a great fit for me. "This season, I'm hoping to set some records at my school and help the team try to get on that run to regionals and make it all the way to state." Contact Todd Shapiro at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.