TEUTOPOLIS — Jason Kreke is the third in a family of catchers that long-time Teutopolis head baseball coach Justin Fleener has mentored.
Jason’s uncle, Jim, and older brother, Brett, both had the honor of playing for Fleener. Jim was Fleener’s first catcher when he became the head coach in 2001.
“I had Jimmy for one year,” Fleener said. “As a first-year coach, coming in, he was great to have back there. He was a leader. He took charge. That was the type of catcher that I always imagined that we wanted to have.”
Jason and Brett are and were a microcosm of that.
Hard-nosed. Hard-working.
That’s how Fleener would best describe the lineage of Kreke baseball players to come through his system.
“They are hard-nosed, hard-working, good ball-playing-type of young men. They have a drive and want to win,” he said. “They have the drive to support the team. They put others before themselves. They’ve always had that type of mentality.”
Jason and Brett spoke highly of their uncle. They thought of him as a mentor, as well.
“Jim’s been a big part of me and Brett’s baseball career,” Jason said. “It started at a young age when he lived here.”
“I looked up to Jim a lot,” Brett added. “He would always make fun of us a little bit, saying that he was a better catcher. It’s good to have a good role model as you’re coming up into high school.”
While Jim may think he’s the best of the Kreke catchers, Jason may have a strong claim to that after this past season.
Jason batted .396 with a 1.150 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, 44 hits, eight doubles, seven home runs and 40 RBI in the team’s runner-up finish at the state tournament.
“Jason does a phenomenal job behind the plate and he’s still getting better,” Fleener said. “He got better as the season progressed. He’s knowledgeable of the game. I would ask Jason questions as the game was going on about what that pitcher was throwing. There are times when he says, ‘He’s looking good,’ and there are other times when he says, ‘He’s missing in the middle.’
“He doesn’t sugarcoat things.”
Jason would be remiss without mentioning how his older brother helped him along the way.
Brett graduated in 2024. He was the starting catcher in the sectional championship game against St. Anthony one season ago when the Wooden Shoes fell short.
Jason said when Brett was catching, it did get difficult for him at times.
“Coming in behind Brett, I knew it was going to be hard to get my chances,” Jason said. “If it was catching the second game on a Saturday or catching the bullpen so he could rest for the bigger games, that’s really what was hardest for me.”
Mastering the art of catching is far more challenging than it appears.
Jason even said that not everyone is built to be a backstop.
His knees take the brunt of the abuse from him in that regard.
“They do, but it’s all worth it at the end of the day,” Jason said. “Catching’s not built for everybody.”
Fleener said that switching from catcher to catcher can be a difficult task.
Pitchers tend to become familiar and comfortable with one backstop.
“When you have a pitching staff that’s been used to one catcher and you switch that catcher up, the catcher knows what those pitchers are wanting,” Fleener said. “Unless that new catcher comes in and is going to do the exact same thing, pitchers are going to have a moment of transition that they’re going to need.”
Jason’s case is different, though.
Fleener noticed how many innings he caught this past year and is going to work to find a remedy to that solution.
“Jason caught a lot of innings. That’s something we’re going to have to [focus on],” Fleener said. “We’ll have guys that will be ready. We will spend the fall getting another catcher, and right now, it’s going to be Michael Habing.
“Michael is going to spend the summer getting ready for a catching role and we’re going to be able to work him in a little bit more in the fall and, hopefully, save Jason for the spring.”
While saving Jason’s knees in the fall should help for the spring, the Kaskaskia College baseball recruit doesn’t stop playing athletics.
Jason is also a forward on the basketball team.
“Jason just falls in line with what a lot of other athletes do in our area,” Fleener said. “They’re kids who play baseball and basketball all summer, and they play baseball in the fall. Jason manages his time wisely to fit everything in and takes care of his body to ensure he can withstand the wear and tear.
“Mentally, he is prepared for this.”