Krob shines bright in first day of MLB4 tournament

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Simply put, Austin Krob is on a mission.

The focus and determination was evident as soon as he stepped on the mound and struck out the side in the first inning against San Diego State on Friday night at the MLB4 tournament, a clear reflection of the work he’s put in to go from Kirkwood (Iowa) CC in 2019 to TCU’s opening night starter in 2022.

“I’ve had a note in my phone since I was a freshman in high school that said, ‘I’m going to be a Division I athlete in this sport. I’m going to be a professional in this sport,’” Krob said. “I’ve always had that motivation to just say ‘mind on a mission, you’ve got something to do, something to prove.’”

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound lefty proved plenty Friday night as he struck out seven over four scoreless innings in TCU’s 5-3 come-from-behind win over San Diego State.

Krob, who threw 50 of his 80 pitches for strikes, walked one and gave up four hits. The junior dealt with baserunners in three of his four frames, but controlled the game and made the pitches he needed to make. He utilized each of his four pitches -- a four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, slider and changeup -- but it was his wipeout slider that dominated the evening.

“If you want to scout against me, it’s going to be good luck hitting that slider,” Krob said. “I’ve got a slider, good luck hitting it.”

The offering, which sits in the mid-80s and flashes plus with two-plane break, accounted for six of his seven strikeouts.

“I didn’t have full command of it but I still got the strikeouts I needed,” Krob said. “I’m excited that I was able to land that slider because it helped me not worry about my fastball as much and then when my slider got away I was able to pick up my fastball. I feel I did a good job adapting tonight.”

Krob pitched with a confidence and swagger Friday, making things looks easy at times, though his journey hasn’t always been that smooth.

The southpaw fared well as a reliever in 2020, but the sample size was small because of the COVID-shortened campaign. Still, he showed enough to warrant starter consideration and was moved to the rotation in 2021. He started his junior college career in the bullpen, transferred to TCU after a year and initially struggled.

“His first semester on campus he didn’t make it through many innings in intrasquad games, just really green behind the ears,” TCU head coach Kirk Saarloos said. “But he worked hard and changed some stuff mechanically.”

Krob thrived.

He went 8-1 with a 3.81 ERA, struck out 96 batters in 85 innings and finished the season with a 13-strikeout performance against McNeese State in the Fort Worth Regional.

That start against McNeese, Krob said, was the culmination of adjustments made throughout the year and set the tone for a big 2022 season.

“Last year was his first year ever really starting at the Division I level, so it was a lot of firsts for him,” Saarloos said. “I’m expecting great things from him just because there probably won’t be anything that will happen this year that he didn’t encounter last year.”

Saarloos isn’t the only one expecting big things from Krob. Big-12 coaches voted the junior onto the Big-12 preseason all-conference team and the lefty has been named to some preseason All-American squads and Draft watch lists as well.

“I really don’t let those ever get to my head,” Krob said. “It’s more the stuff I’m left out on that fuels my fire. Golden Spikes Award, I saw that come out the other day and said ‘OK, that gives me a little room to prove myself and make a statement.’"

Command has been an issue for Krob in the past, though he issued just one walk against the Aztecs. His fastball command specifically will need to take a step forward if he’s going to remain a starter long-term. Friday’s outing was a good start, but if he winds up transitioning to the bullpen, the southpaw is aware that his slider would play up in short stints.

However, when all is said and done, the role isn’t what matters. What matters to Krob is producing, helping the team win and continuing on his mission.

“I achieved my first goal -- Division I -- even though I had to go to junior college to do that, I still made it,” Krob said. “So now it’s time to make it to that next goal and hopefully get drafted.”