The National Letter of Intent early signing period finally let East Union senior Jordan Kron put the final piece of his pre-college puzzle together when he signed his letter of intent to become a student-athlete for the University of California at Riverside baseball program.
Kron seized his moment on the national day for signing up athletes and college athletic programs to fulfill agreements set in place through the collegiate institutions. Kron’s journey into the collegiate ranks will be assisted by a lucrative athletic scholarship Riverside is awarding Kron, enhanced by Kron’s dual-position expectations placed on him to pitch and play the field.
“They provided a lot for me,” Kron said of the scholarship financing Riverside offered. “Considering that I will be what they call a two-way player, with pitching and hitting and fielding, they put together a pretty big scholarship for me.
“It’s equivalent to about 85 percent; in baseball terms that’s a lot of money because there are not a lot of scholarships to hand out to 40 players.”
Kron’s initial business with the program took place during the summer when he gave Riverside head coach Doug Smith a verbal commitment to the Highlander family. Smith, a UC Riverside graduate, took over the program in 2004 after putting 25 years into the program as the hitting coach.
Kron’s mother, Jackie, grew up in Riverside and still has family in the area. The support Kron has received from his parents (father Gary is an East Union graduate) has been without cease since his freshman year. The three-sport athlete has never been able to wonder how it would feel to have the complete, unwavering support from family.
“I was absolutely thrilled to help out with college,” Kron said of earning the scholarship funding. “I know I wouldn’t be anywhere without my family and their support. No matter what I did, in whatever sport, they’ve always backed me completely. I never realized it until this year how blessed I truly am to have that support.
“You see people who have single parents or divorced parents and it’s tough; I’m definitely blessed to have two parents that love each other and love me.”
With his immediate college future solidified and an upcoming basketball season before baseball gets underway Kron is feeling secure. The doubts that naturally come along with transition and change haven’t plagued Kron in the slightest.
“I don’t think there are any doubts,” Kron said. “I’m ready to move out, I’m ready to play against some of the best players in the country and I’m ready to help bring a title home to Riverside from Omaha.”
