PORTLAND, Ore. — New Portland State men's tennis coach Toby Krauel has been torn between two loves: tennis and law.
 
"Tennis gives me a bigger opportunity to teach and mentor and connect with student athletes," said the former head tennis coach at Gonzaga and Willamette.
 
"Law is an opportunity to keep the community safe," said the former prosecutor in Washington's Whitman and Cowlitz County's Prosecuting Attorneys offices and Lewis & Clark Law School professor.
 
But with his arrival as the first coach of the Viking Men's team (coach Jay Sterling handled both men's and women's teams until coaching duties were split this year), he believes he's finally settled on his calling.
 
"I left one court for another. I believe this is my purpose," said the 45-year-old Krauel, who holds a degree in psychology from the University of Portland and Doctor of Jurisprudence from Gonzaga.
 
Krauel began playing tennis at the age of 13. He had an older brother who played at Lakeridge High School in Lake Oswego. He was self-taught, hitting tennis balls against a wall two to four hours a day ("the wall was my partner"). His family moved around a bit and he ended up playing high school tennis in Pacific Grove, Calif. "That's where I fell in love with tennis," said Krauel. As a senior, he decided to take lessons.
 
He played a year of tennis at a junior college in California before transferring to the University of Portland where he was a two-time West Coast Conference Scholar-Athlete. He has participated in a number of tournaments over the years, and won the Nike National 40's doubles tournament in 2012.
 
It was at the University of Portland that he began to think about coaching.
 
"My teammates voted me the most inspirational player. I didn't see myself that way, but they reminded me who I am. And I thought I might be good at coaching," he recalled.
 
As an undergraduate, he took some pre-law courses and became intrigued. He "absolutely loved" law school.
 
While at Gonzaga, he took over the school's ailing tennis program. Upon graduation, he spent five years as a deputy and chief prosecuting attorney in the Whitman County Prosecuting Attorney's Office and continued as Gonzaga's head coach.
 
Krauel took over a program which had perennially finished last in it conference. He coached Gonzaga to its best-ever season through good recruiting, and turned it into a respectable program that competed with the likes of Montana and Eastern Washington.
 
But following both passions at the same time had its downside.
 
"We'd practice at 6 a.m., then I'd drive for an hour to the county courthouse and practice law. After that, it was back to practice at night."
 
To be closer to family, the Krauels moved to Portland in 2000.  Since he held a license to practice law in Washington, he worked in the Cowlitz County Prosecuting Attorney's office (becoming chief criminal prosecuting attorney) from 2000-06.
 
How far was that commute? "53 minutes each way," he answered immediately.
 
Whether it was tennis or law, the idea of teaching continued to be a major driving force and Krauel taught at Lewis and Clark School of Law from 2006-08.
 
From 2008 to 2012, Krauel was Willamette University's head tennis coach, turning that program around like he did at Gonzaga. Under him, Willamette qualified for its conference tournament three of his four seasons, and made the tournament finals in 2011, when it had an 11-1 conference record.
 
Krauel's time at Willamette meant he became intimately familiar with I-5 between Portland and Salem, though, when he also became an assistant tennis professional at West Hills Racket and Fitness Club.
 
It was round that time Krauel also made his final career decision. It was to be tennis. And, when the job at PSU opened up, he jumped at the chance. "Now I'm eight minutes from PSU and 12 minutes from West Hills. I'm happy, my car is happy."
 
Krauel's family is also happy, which has always been an athletic clan. Children Katy, 20, Jack, 17, and Gus, 10, all play tennis. Jack is also starting shortstop at Central Catholic and Katy is following in her father's footsteps, playing at UP. 
 
Katy and her dad are also the No. 1-ranked mixed open doubles pair in the Pacific Northwest after winning two tournaments last summer. Additionally, he and his doubles partner, Linfield tennis coach Carl Swanson, have been ranked in the top 10 in the US in their age division three different years, twice rising to No. 3 in the country.
 
Krauel is delighted to have found the PSU team, "a men's team on the way up. They had a pretty good team last year, a pretty good season. I'm very excited to be here and the guys are excited to have a coach devoted exclusively to men's tennis." His initial focus will be to increase the team's size from six players to a full complement of 10 through recruiting.
 
He wants individuals "who are good teammates, who work hard and respect the sport. Character is the main thing. Tennis is an honor sport. You call your own lines. You need to respect the sport and respect your opponent. And, play with heart. That means you never quit."
 
His favorite quote is from international tennis star Rafael Nadel: "I play every point like my life depended on it."