Former baseball star and current University of California, Berkeley catcher, Chadd Krist was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 12th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft last week.
Then, over the weekend, Krist helped the Cal Bears qualify for their first College World Series in 19 years as they swept Dallas Baptist in the Super Regionals.
It's quite a turn of events for Krist and his team considering last September's announcement that the program would be discontinued for lack of funds. Then in April the program was reinstated for at least the 2012 campaign.
"It's definitely been a roller coaster of a season," said Krist, who graduated from Petaluma High in 2008 grad. "From getting cut, to not playing all that well down the stretch, to being on the bubble just to get into the regionals. We really turned it around and it's really turned into special season for us."
The Petaluman was a first team All-Pac-10 selection leading the conference with 25 doubles, along with a team leading 43 runs batted in. He is a .304 hitter with a pair of homers and 37 runs scored on the year. One of those homers came when Krist blasted a two-run dinger and added an RBI (Run Batted In) single in the deciding 6-2 victory over Dallas Baptist last Sunday.
Coming out of high school, Krist was not highly regarded for his baseball talents and decided to walk-on at Cal. From not having a scholarship to being drafted, he says he now realizes that the hard work has paid off.
"I made the most of my opportunities, to not really being recruited to attracting the interest from pro scouts," Krist said. "I've grown and developed not just as a baseball player, but as a person here at Cal and it really has come full circle."
With one year of college eligibility remaining, Krist mentioned that he wants to wait until Cal's run in the College World Series is over before making a decision on whether to sign a contract or return for his senior season. The Bears begin their run for the National Championship this Sunday against top-ranked University of Virginia at the tournament site in Omaha.
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