Schwarber, Travis taken on day one of MLB Draft

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana baseball players Kyle Schwarber and Sam Travis were both chosen on day one of the Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft on Thursday. Schwarber was selected fourth overall by the Chicago Cubs and Travis was selected 67th overall (second round) by the Boston Red Sox.

Schwarber becomes the highest draft pick in Indiana baseball history. The previous highest draft choice from IU was Jim DeNeff who was selected eighth overall in 1966 by the then California Angels. Schwarber is the first Hoosier to get drafted in the opening round of the draft since IU had three players picked in the first round in 2009 (Eric Arnett, Josh Phegley, Matt Bashore).

Indiana head coach Tracy Smith has now mentored four first round draft picks during his tenure in Bloomington. Including Schwarber and Travis, Indiana has had a total of seven players drafted in the first or second round of the MLB Draft. Five of those players played for Smith.

A finalist this year for the Johnny Bench Award, Schwarber batted .358 for Indiana in 2014 with 14 home runs and 48 RBI while slugging .659. Those numbers are on the heels of a sophomore season where he hit for a .366 average with 18 long balls and 54 RBI. His 18 home runs in 2013 are the sixth-highest single season total in IU history.

For his career, Schwarber batted .341 in 180 games played with 40 home runs and 149 RBI. His 238 hits in three years are the eighth most career hits in program history and his 40 career long balls are the sixth most all-time at Indiana.

Travis, the 2014 Big Ten Player of the Year, had a batting average of .347 as junior with 12 home runs and a team-leading 58 RBI. In his three years at Indiana, he batted .327 in 184 career games with 31 home runs and 165 RBI.

The Orland Park, Ill., native ranks sixth all-time at Indiana in career doubles (55) and ninth in career hits (236).

The MLB First-Year Player Draft will continue on Friday on Saturday.