Former Ohio baseball player Marc Krauss is balancing playing professionally and finishing his degree.
Marc Krauss is keeping his promise.
After three years in Athens, where he became one of Ohio’s best baseball players in program history, he opted for a career in Major League Baseball. That was back in 2009.
Now, he’s a professional athlete, a student, a husband and a father.
Krauss, a member of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim organization, participated in spring training with the squad but was reassigned to the minor leagues this weekend before teams finalize their opening day rosters.
In addition to playing professionally, Krauss has opted to finish his journalism degree — even if he’s thousands of miles away from Scripps Hall.
“It was a promise I made to my mom when I signed,” Krauss said.
The Arizona Diamondbacks signed him 64th overall in the second round of the 2009 MLB Draft. “She said, ‘You better finish your degree.’ I said, ‘I will.’ I want to be an alumnus of OU. I loved it there. I loved Athens and my three years there … It’s such a great school, I want to hold up that degree one day,” he said.
By taking classes during the Fall Semester, when the baseball season winds down, Krauss has been able to complete most of his classes, hovering with five or six remaining before he can officially graduate.
While he can’t physically attend classes, he’s working with his advisor, Associate Professor Mary Rogus, to find classes to fill his requirements.
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“It’s getting easier and easier because we’re putting more and more classes online,” Rogus said. “So classes that aren’t available online, we’re working with him … He started in the School of Journalism and he wants to finish in the School of Journalism. I applaud that.”
Only 4.3 percent of all active players in the MLB have four-year college degrees, according to a Fox Sports report from May 2014.
With the growing presence of online universities, the league has begun promoting players to finish their schooling, if they haven’t already, in the offseason or after they retire.
That’s why it shouldn’t come as a surprise the University of Phoenix and Western International University have two large buildings beckoning beyond the centerfield wall at the Angels’ spring training ballpark in Tempe, Arizona.
“I think it’s more prevalent now,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “I think you see players who can do them because they’re online … Players are definitely able to fit an education in while they’re playing, like any other occupation.”
One of those players with a degree, Angels’ starting pitcher Matt Shoemaker, was able to graduate before playing professionally, but he said it’s something that’s not the norm — but it’s not completely unheard of, either.
“I’ve heard about a couple guys that have done it,” said Shoemaker, who pitched at Eastern Michigan and faced Krauss while they were both in college. “It’s good to see. It’s always nice to have that, but I was fortunate enough to finish that in my four years at Eastern.”
At 27 years old, Krauss, a native of Deshler, Ohio, would like to be a broadcaster when he’s finally done playing.
Though he could be either the play-by-play analyst or the color-commentator, Krauss said he’d prefer to be a sports radio talk show host.
Eventually he hopes to host a show similar to the Dan Patrick Show, which is both a TV and radio program, airing weekday mornings on NBCSN and Sirius XM, respectively.
“I think a dream job has always been a radio talk show host,” Krauss said. “Obviously it wouldn’t start out as a national show, maybe start out with something locally and have it grow into something bigger.
“Just to be able to talk about sports I think would be fun. That’s probably the route I’d love to go, but who knows?”
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If it does work out, Scioscia has already said he wants to be one of the first guests. Shoemaker said he’d go on the air as well.
For the immediate future — at least until August — Krauss can focus on his family and baseball before finishing up his last handful of classes.
When he left Ohio, he was a 2009 Louisville Slugger All-American First-Team selection by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. The last Bobcat to receive the same honors was Scott Kuvinka in 1979.
In addition, Krauss made first-team All-Mid-American Conference all three years as a Bobcat. He also has the program record of single-season home runs with 27.
His coach at Ohio, Joe Carbone, said he had an outstanding career and accomplished everything possible.
“I made (players) promise to me when they finish will finish school,” Carbone said. “Your decision to leave is up to you and your family, but if you leave, make sure your senior year is paid for in your signing bonus.”
It’s a promise Krauss is going to keep — even if it means one online class at a time.
@charliehatch_
gh181212@ohio.edu
