New Head Baseball Coach Chris Krepline.
Photo by Anton Zemba.
The Men’s Baseball Team has a new head baseball coach. He is not very visible to campus yet since he travels between his office in the Alexander Gym and Mishicot. Yet, when you have a chance to meet him, he is one of the kindest people you will ever meet. Welcome our new addition to Lawrence, Chris Krepline.
Krepline is the head coach of baseball. He was the assistant coach in 2012 at Lawrence, then officially became the head coach on September 10. Krepline decided to become a baseball coach midway through his playing career because of his passion and love for the game. He finds joy in seeing players improve and watching them grow from the time they meet him to the time they leave and go on to become better husbands, better fathers, better brothers. He likes to keep in contact with former students to see how they ended up in their careers.
Prior to Lawrence, Krepline received his bachelors in exercise science from Carthage College and a masters in applied exercise science at Concordia University in Chicago. Exercise science includes a background in physical education and fitness industry as well as all aspects of health and wellness. Applied exercise science involves kinesiology and exercise physiology and human performance training. He was a teacher for the past seven years. He taught core strength and conditioning at Mishicot. He was a varsity middle school football coach and a high school football coach. He began coaching baseball at the collegiate level at St. Norbert College.
Krepline believes in steering players to the right education and academics. His biggest mentors were college baseball and football coaches who helped him with challenges and adversities.
The most valuable lesson he learned is, “Be humble, generous, [and] be the hardest worker. No one can outwork you; it’s about your own effort and attitude. I try to instill the same type of values with my players.”
Krepline has been coaching at Lawrence for two weeks, but he already considers them a fun group of guys. “They are hardworking, down to earth and generous. I enjoy watching the team building relationships because they have a bond outside of the game,” says Krepline.
He advises his players, “How you treat people is really important. Treating people fairly and with respect is something we can instill in the younger generation.”
Outside of Lawrence, Krepline has a wife and a two-year-old son. He is big into fitness, nutrition, strength training and baseball. He likes to travel. He is a fan of the Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves and Green Bay Packers.
One thing students may not know about Krepline is that he grew up on a farm. “I used to milk cows before I went to school. I drove a tractor and everything a farm kid does before being a teacher and a baseball coach. I learned to have a good work ethic and how to treat people fairly. Coming from that background helped me appreciate the smaller things in life. No matter where you come from, you are always going to have good people take care of you.”
Five years from now, Krepline hopes his family continues to grow and maybe have another child. He wants to move from Appleton to Green Bay and get involved with the community. He wants to continue promoting the school. He is most impressed with the academics and student life. To him, the Lawrence Difference is a student who really cares about their education and are good people who are going to make a difference in someone’s life. They have great energy and are ready to take on the world is the positive energy of this institution.
“My family really inspires me. My dad worked seven jobs and at the iron works along with the farm. My mom also worked at the iron works. They pushed my work ethic and drive to do the careers I wanted to do and become the person I am today,” said Krepline when asked who his inspiration is.
Krepline is this week’s hidden figure of note because to him, baseball is not just about the game. He is all about being kind, humble, generous and someone who contributes to the community. He is a firm believer in becoming a better person. This is not just a life lesson the baseball team can benefit from, but the whole campus community can strive to be.