With the Indiana baseball season just over a month away, preseason honors have begun to roll in for one of the Hoosiers' most highly-rated players.
Junior outfielder Devin Taylor, one of the top returning players in all of college baseball, was named a second-team Preseason All-American on Tuesday by Perfect Game. This marks the second consecutive year Taylor has garnered such preseason recognition.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Taylor followed up a prolific freshman season during the 2023 season with an All-American campaign a year ago in 2024. Taylor belted 20 home runs, which led the Big Ten, while hitting .357 and driving in 54 RBIs.
At one point during the season, Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer elected to slide Taylor up into the leadoff spot in the lineup. Taylor excelled in that role for the Hoosiers last season, hitting home runs in 12 of Indiana's final 22 games of the 2024 season.
For his efforts a season ago, Taylor was named a second-team All-American by Perfect Game and a third-team All-American by ABCA/Rawlings. He was also named to the first-team All-Big Ten for a second consecutive season--the first Hoosier to do so in each of the first two years of his collegiate career.
Entering the 2025 season, Taylor projects to be one of the first collegiate players taken in this year's MLB Draft. The slugging outfielder is just 12 long balls away from breaking the program's all-time record, and he needs just 51 hits to reach 200 in his Indiana career.
Taylor will once again lead a prolific Indiana lineup that features returners at third base (Josh Pyne), shortstop (Tyler Cerny) and second base (Jasen Oliver).
Indiana begins the season on Feb. 14 in Surprise, Arizona at the Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic against UNLV.
–––––
Like this content? Join the conversation on TheHoosier.com's premium message boards and subscribe today!
– Follow TheHoosier on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!
– Subscribe to TheHoosier on YouTube for more content
– Interact with fellow fans on TheHoosier's Premium Football Board and Premium Hoops Board