The groundballs, one after another, come skimming off the uneven dirt. But Scott Krieger reaches down with his glove on the opposite side of the diamond these days.
Krieger, a former third baseman for Calvert Hall, has made the transition to first base as a freshman for the George Mason University baseball team.
“It was definitely different playing at an opposite angle of the field and learning a whole new position,” said Krieger, who had a career batting average of .467, with 120 hits and 21 home runs at Calvert Hall.
“Finding the bag and positioning myself on the field took some time to get used to, but after fielding so many groundballs in practice, I feel much more comfortable out there,” he said of playing Division I ball in the Colonial Athletic Association.
This past weekend for Mason, the college freshman batted fifth in a series at James Madison. He was hitting .260 with three homers and 12 RBIs prior to Sunday?s game.
Another player from the Baltimore area who took part in the weekend series was Joe Lake, a sophomore redshirt infielder for James Madison. Lake played high school ball at Long Reach in Howard County.
Krieger was a force last year in the Calvert Hall lineup.
As a senior, he batted . 524 with nine home runs and 45 RBI. The Cardinals finished the 2005 season with a state-record 31 consecutive wins and scored 334 runs (10.4 per game), also a state record.
“He is one of the best players I have had the pleasure of coaching,” Calvert Hall baseball coach Lou Eckerl said of Krieger.
“Scott has primarily played first base for us and he has made a smooth transition with his great work ethic,” said Mason head coach Bill Brown, who is currently in his 25th year with the Patriots in Fairfax, Va. “He is a special offensive player because he is athletic and has the ability to hit for power. We love our freshman class, and he has easily risen to the top of that.”
THE KRIEGER FILE
School: George Mason
Position: First base/outfield
Did you know? Krieger earned three varsity letters playing varsity baseball at Calvert Hall … As a junior and senior, he was named All-City, All-County and All-Metro … When Krieger isn?t playing baseball, he also enjoys snowboarding.
Marist, Rider, Radford and Indiana were other colleges vying for Krieger?s services before he landed at George Mason.
