Crawford grew up in Frackville, Pennsylvania, and attended North Schuylkill High School, where he was a member of the baseball and swimming teams.
[1] In swimming, Crawford won the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state championship in the 50-yard freestyle with a record time of 20.45 seconds during his junior year.
[4] Crawford attended the University of Connecticut and batted .365 with a home run and 16 RBIs and had one pitching appearance through 13 games of his true freshman season before it was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.
[6] As a sophomore, Crawford hit .295 and led the Big East Conference with 13 home runs and 62 RBIs while also posting a 1–1 record with one save and a 2.35 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 7+2⁄3 innings pitched.
[9][10] Crawford tore the ulnar collateral ligament during a fall scrimmage against Rhode Island and had Tommy John surgery, causing him to miss his junior season.