2012 Male Player: Mike Kreher
/Mike Kreher
After 25 years of softball participation, Mike Kreher has only one regret. That he is, no longer able to compete competitively in a sport that brought him so much enjoyment, success, and friendships.
After a very successful high school baseball career at St. Henry’s High School and a state championship with the Belleville Legion program, Mike received a college baseball scholarship, while also playing soccer collegiately.
He began his softball playing days in the summer of 1969, after being asked to participate by Jim Scheibe with the 59’S team, prior to Rich Kaiser steering him to competitive softball with the Loggers in 1974. This led him to the Budweiser team, which won the state title in 1984, prior to finishing second in the world tournament.
With a .600 plus lifetime batting average and over 500 homeruns, while playing mostly third base during his career, he earned all-state and all-world honors.
His most memorable softball moment occurred during the Worth Invitational Tournament at Tullohama, Tennessee, when he and his brothers Leon and Larry hit back to back to back home runs. He also recognizes his two brothers along with Mike O’Conner and Denny Albers as the best players that he had the opportunity to play with.
He also recognizes the USSSA as a great avenue to competitive softball through their well-run tournaments.
Mike hopes to be remembered as a player that always hustled and never gave up, no matter what the score!