Sophomore Brynnley Krauchun has already etched her name in Andrew’s record books as a state qualifier in wrestling.
What she did in her varsity softball debut is a tale straight out of a fantasy-come-true storybook.
On April 14, Thunderbolts coach Alyssa Gunther told Krauchun she would be moving up from the JV to the varsity. Krauchun started in right field the next day against Lincoln-Way Central.
“When coach told me, in the moment, I was kind of shocked but happy, too,” Krauchun said. “I slept pretty good that night because I played well in my last JV game.
“But when I stepped on the (varsity) field for the first time, I was scared.”
After three hits and a walk-off home run, she had a story to tell at family gatherings for generations to come.
Krauchun continued her instant impact Monday for Andrew in a 14-1 SouthWest Suburban Conference victory in five innings over visiting Stagg in Tinley Park.
Maddie Murray and Zahria Hatcher each had a pair of doubles for Andrew (9-8,2-4). PJ Gorajski chipped in with two hits and struck out six for the pitching win.
Audra Zukowski tripled for Stagg (4-10, 0-6), while Holly Jirka added an RBI single.
Krauchun, meanwhile, had another big day against Stagg with two singles and an RBI. She also was 2-for-2 on catches in right field.
Welcome aboard, Brynnley.
“She’s my best friend now — I love her,” said the smiling Murray, a sophomore catcher. “I was super excited when I found out she was going to be called up. I knew she was a cut above.
“I was hyping her up. I was like, ‘You’ve got this. You’ll do great.’ You know, positive and everything. And then, she did great. She did amazing.”
As a freshman, Krauchun was a productive player on the junior varsity. One of the big reasons she didn’t make the varsity at the start of this season was, well, she was kind of busy.
Krauchun qualified for state in wrestling at 120 pounds.
“I went 1-2 at state and I was happy I won a match,” Krauchun said. “But because of wrestling, I never got to go to preseason open gyms for softball. I just went straight into softball tryouts.
“I was kind of nervous I wasn’t going to make it and I was upset when I didn’t. But I used JV to get more reps and practice more. It helped me to get better.”
Her golden opportunity came via a visit from Gunther before a JV game.
“We were a little banged up in certain spots and missing a little depth in the outfield,” Gunther said. “She had been excelling on the JV team, so we decided to pull her up.”
In her first varsity at-bat the next day against Lincoln-Way Central, Krauchun stroked a single up the middle. Later, she came through with an RBI double. The game was tied 5-5 in the bottom of the seventh when she batted with two outs and nobody on.
The count went to 0-2. Then …
“I just told myself to calm down,” Krauchun said. “I swung and hit it. When I hit the ball, I usually run with my head down, so I didn’t even see it. When I picked my head up, it was already over.”
The celebrating at home plate, however, had just begun.
“That was my first walk-off,” Krauchun said, smiling. “I’ve had exciting moments (at home plate) before, but not that much.”
It was quite a sight for Gunther, who knew her own share of heroic moments as a player at Tinley Park.
“I was confident in her coming up to the plate,” Gunther said. “And you know what? She stepped up when we needed her the most. When it went out, it was awesome.”
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
