Connections, consistency keys for inductee Bill Krejci

Editor's note: The following article appeared in Friday's edition of The Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction Colo., in conjunction with the NJCAA Hall of Fame induction of former SWCC baseball coach and athletic director Bill Krejci.

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Bill Krejci’s record during his 22 years at Southwestern (Iowa) Community College in Iowa isn’t eye-popping.

“We won a few more games than we lost,” Krejci said. “But it’s pretty close to .500.”

There are many coaches who build resumes with staggering win totals.

Krejci isn’t that guy.

He says his resume isn’t that great, although that’s certainly up for debate, and he’s “just doing what feels right.”

But Krejci’s impact spreads well beyond the number of games won or the talent of the young men he’s coached. Krejci is a teacher, a mentor and a leader. He inspires and understands.

That’s what makes his induction into the NJCAA Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame such an honor. Krejci, in order to honor his former players and colleagues, respects the honors he receives.

“It’s humbling,” he said. “I’ve worked with so many amazing administrators, staff members and players that getting this award is an honor that I take very seriously. It’s probably the biggest honor of my life, to tell you the truth.”

That’s how Krejci operates. He connects with players and colleagues. He looks for ways to motivate and empathize.

Matt Thompson, a former player and assistant coach at SWCC, felt Krejci’s impact immediately.

Thompson came to SWCC in 1992, tagging along with a high school teammate who was being recruited by Krejci.

An injury kept Thompson, now 42, away from school for a year. Still, Thompson said Krejci’s personality is dynamic.

“I was just looking for a place to play, so how I got there isn’t really a sexy story,” Thompson said. “But it was the best decision I’ve ever made. I can say, without a doubt, that he changed my life. I knew after one season that I was going to be a coach, and that was all because of him, even in a short timespan.”

Krejci specialized in doing a lot with players in a short time. It’s one of the main reasons he stuck with the wild world of junior college baseball, where coaches often serve multiple roles in the program and at the college.

Coaching also offers Krejci the opportunity to work with players who were deemed not talented enough to play for a four-year school, or didn’t have the grades.

Krejci took the edge those players have, the hunger, and molded them into men.

“These guys are hungry,” Krejci said. “It’s different at a four-year school. I went to a four-year school. I get it. You know you’re going to play there for four years and get a degree.

“These are guys who, for whatever reason, maybe grades or whatever, were cast off.”

To Krejci, that’s what makes coaching junior college baseball so rewarding. You get players for a short window, then watch them grow. Krejci calls it “propagating the faith” of baseball, using his enthusiasm and love of the game to inspire young men.

That hit Thompson early in his playing career, when he returned to SWCC, and when he briefly coached SWCC after Krejci’s retirement in 1999.

Thompson now coaches the Texas Sun Devils, a National Select program in Beaumont, Texas.

“The message coming from Bill is consistent,” Thompson said. “Everybody comes from a different background, and different things motivate them. He’d find different ways to connect with guys, but the message was consistent.

“He’d sing during batting practice. He’s a big Notre Dame fan, so he’d sing their fight song sometimes. We’d take batting practice in the rain just because. He isn’t a yeller or a screamer. He is a guy people gravitate towards and a mentor.”

His ability to connect and teach has opened doors.

Since 1996, Krejci has coached with USA Baseball. He’s coached national teams that featured players such as J.J. Hardy, Joe Mauer, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado.

He was also inducted into the SWCC Hall of Fame as a coach and athletic director, a post he held for 15 years.

Krejci said the key to his success is understanding players.

“(The players) have to know you really care about them,” Krejci said. “They have to know you love them and you’re about them. The minute they think you’re not about them, that you’re about winning or building a resume or even about the team, you can lose them.”