By JOHN BOHNENKAMP
Lucas Krebs redshirted this season as a freshman at Illinois, which meant his summer in the Prospect League with the Burlington Bees was going to be important.
He might not be out of the lineup very much the rest of the season.
Krebs has played in 16 of the Bees’ 17 games this season, hitting .308 with two home runs and 14 runs batted in. He has scored 13 runs, and ranks fourth in the league with 12 stolen bases.
“He’s an all-around baseball player,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “He can do it all — hit for power, fight in two-strike counts, get his base hits. His ability to run the bases is incredible, his feel for it is incredible. He’s a great fielder. He’s got a lot of tools, and it’s beautiful.”
Krebs was placed with the Bees by Illinois coach Dan Hartleb, and he was ready for the opportunity.
“I mean, honestly, I just needed as much reps as possible,” Krebs said. “So, when he told me I needed to play summer ball, I completely agreed, because I just needed to get as much reps as I could, just to get the pace of the game and the pace of the college level.”
Krebs hit just .200 in his first 11 games, although he did show some flashes of what he could do when he drove in six runs in an 18-12 win at Johnstown on May 29.
Since then, he’s hitting .529 over the last five games.
“At first, my timing was really off, because I haven’t seen live pitching just from redshirting,” Krebs said. “I’ve been getting my timing back, and I’ve been feeling really well the past week, so it’s been really good. That’s a big confidence booster.”
Krebs hit third in the Bees’ lineup in Sunday’s 6-1 win over Decatur, reaching base in his first four plate appearances.
“I feel like I can hit him anywhere in the order,” Oreskovich said. “His ability to not let things affect him is another thing. He didn’t get a hit (in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader at Danville) and struck out twice. I told him, ‘You’re getting three hits,’ in the next game, and he just smiled. Then he went out and got a couple of hits.”
Krebs, a three-year varsity player at Edwardsville (Ill.) High School, took advantage of his redshirt season with the Illini.
“Obviously sitting the bench isn’t the best experience, but I still had a lot of fun,” he said. “It honestly was a great experience for me, just to get the pace of the game, and everything. I just got to watch the people in front of me, so I took a lot of mental notes that have really been paying off, and I think it was beneficial in the long run.”
Krebs was ranked ninth among high school shortstops in Illinois in the 2025 class by Perfect Game, but he has played second base and third base as well with the Bees.
“Obviously, shortstop is my No. 1 spot — I’ve played there my whole life,” Krebs said. “But it’s really good just getting reps at second and third throughout the season. As many spots as you can play, it’s the best way you can make the field, so it’s been good. Being a utility player is very useful for a team when it comes to winning.”
“He’s a great fielder,” Oreskovich said. “He’s got a lot of tools, and he works well anywhere in the infield.”
Krebs’ goal is to get 200 at-bats this summer, and given his versatility and his hitting ability, that shouldn’t be a problem. That, he hopes, sets him up for a big season next year with the Illini.
“That’s my No. 1 goal, is to be a big contributor to (Illinois) next year, so I’m going to do anything it takes,” Krebs said. “I’m going to try my best to get in that lineup every day, and coming here is going to be a great chance for me to do that, because just getting reps in every day and trying to get as many ABs as possible will help me feel more comfortable and confident when it comes to the fall and next spring.”
BACK HOME
The Bees play Tuesday and Wednesday at Illinois Valley, then play nine of their next 11 at Community Field.
Sunday’s win was only the team’s sixth game of the season at home.
“It’s nice to be at home,” Oreskovich said after the game. “We like it here, we want to play here in front of our fans. It’s nice to not be on a bus trip.”
Rainouts on two of their long trips haven’t helped either — the Bees played a doubleheader at Danville on Saturday night and didn’t get back to Community Field until 3:30 a.m., a little more than 12 hours before they would have to play again.
“We’ve got two games on the road this week, and after that we’re at home quite a bit, which is very nice,” Oreskovich said. “Guys can get into a routine. These guys want to win. I want to win. We’ve just got to keep playing solid baseball.”
100 FOR 0
Oreskovich’s 100th win as the manager of the Bees came last Tuesday in an 8-6 triumph at Alton.
It was a milestone that Oreskovich, in his fifth season as manager and sixth with the organization overall, appreciated.
“That’s a giant number,” he said. “I’m very fortunate to have been here as long as I have been. It means a lot to me to be able to do it for Burlington and this organization — they mean the world to me. I’ve spent the last five or six summers down here. It’s like home in the summer.
It’s truly special. It’s obviously a cool accomplishment in my life, but it’s special to do it here.”
Photo: Lucas Krebs has shown his versatility in the Burlington Bees’ infield this season. (Photo by Steve Cirinna)
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