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By JOHN SAHLY – jsahly@daily-chronicle.com
Tom Crouch, of DeKalb, is the starting shortstop for a world class fastpitch softball team in Appleton, Wis. (Photo by Beck Diefenbach – bdiefenbach@daily-chronicle.com)
Tom Crouch has traveled thousands of miles to reach where he is in men’s fastpitch softball.
It has brought the DeKalb resident to such places as Haiti, Mexico, Florida and southern California.
It also took him to the Dominican Republic. Known for its rich tradition of turning out talented Major League Baseball players, the country also provides a key number of pitchers and hitters to the international men’s fastpitch softball scene.
It’s where Crouch found himself years ago, working to improve his performance at the plate in fastpitch.
“The competition level was fantastic,†Crouch said. “The pitching wasn’t as good as it is in some of the other countries, but the hitters and defenders are great. Guys are very smooth defensively.
“Now I compete against some of those guys up here at the major level.â€
Crouch is one of the most celebrated men’s fastpitch softball hitters in the country, earning last year’s North American Fastpitch Association MVP award as a member of the Bar of Appleton (Wis.) team. This year, Appleton has been as ranked as high as No. 9 in North America by the International Softball Congress.
Crouch, who is the assistant executive director/principal of the Kishwaukee Education Consortium, again has played a big role in that, with a batting average around .340.
The Appleton shortstop spent time after college in independent baseball leagues in Canada and a little bit in Florida when he first thought seriously about playing men’s fastpitch.
His dad had played and enjoyed it and Crouch decided to try it out playing 23-and-under ball.
He always knew fastpitch was a different game from baseball, but it was then he found out exactly how wide that gap really was.
The circle is only 43 feet from the plate. Pitchers throw fastballs that top out around 85-86 mph, which isn’t that bad until batters realize that because of the shorter distance than baseball, that fastball translates to about a 105 mph pitch from a mound.
“The transition from baseball to fastpitch is much more difficult than the other way because the ball moves up,†Crouch said. “There’s the riseball. In baseball everything is coming down and in fastpitch softball, most of the stuff is going up.â€
Crouch knew he had to work at it if he wanted to break through the top level of fastpitch. Since winter cancels any opportunity of doing it close to home, he had to travel.
His dedication put him all over the map, traveling to faraway places just to work on his game. He gained a new appreciation for other cultures and improved his swing.
“I played 10-15 games a winter to get myself where I could compete at that level,†Crouch said.
He reached that level at age 24 and has excelled ever since. Now 37, Crouch appears to be at the top of his game in his second season with Appleton after three previous years in Green Bay.
Changing teams is a common occurrence in men’s fastpitch, and Crouch said what team players end up on depends on the relationships they build.
It also helps that his position at the Kishwaukee Education Consortium allows him to participate in one of his passions. With Fridays off in the summer, he can leave for a weekend tournament with plenty of time to get ready.
“The season’s over just before school starts,†he said. “It works out just perfect for me.â€
And Crouch can keep playing a sport he’s grown to love and worked long hours over several years and in several countries working on and improving.
“I’m competing at the highest level in the world for the sport and playing against different players from 20 different countries,†Crouch said. “The opportunity to do that and face world-class competition all the time against world-class athletes is something I really appreciate being able to do.â€