Six Indiana baseball players were selected in this year's Major League Baseball draft, a three-day event spanning from this past Sunday to Tuesday.
The six draft picks were the most of any program in the Big Ten.
Starting pitcher McCade Brown was the first Hoosier to be selected in the draft; he was picked No. 79 overall by the Colorado Rockies in the third round. The right-hander made 12 appearances during the 2021 season and posted a 3.39 ERA with a 5-4 record. Brown struck out an impressive 14.3 batters per nine innings and his .164 opponent batting average was the lowest in the conference.
With the 209th pick in the draft, the Miami Marlins selected right-handed starting pitcher Gabe Bierman in the seventh round. Bierman was usually the Sunday starter for the Hoosiers and posted a 2.68 ERA this past season, the second-lowest among starters in the conference. Bierman also was tied for the eighth-most strikeouts in the conference with 80.
The Chicago White Sox selected starting pitcher Tommy Sommer No. 305 overall in the 10th round. The southpaw was primarily the Hoosiers' game one starter and posted a 4.60 ERA through 12 starts. Sommer went 5-4 in his 2021 campaign while striking out 10 and walking 5.5 batters per nine innings pitched.
Pitcher Matt Litwicki was also selected during the 10th round and was taken by the Boston Red Sox. The right-hander was IU's go-to pitcher in save scenarios and led the team with four. Litwicki posted a 4.50 ERA this past season and did not allow a run before his last two appearances, where he allowed three earned runs against Michigan and Iowa, respectively. Litwicki also had a 1.08 WHIP and struck out 12.8 batters while walking just 1.5 per nine innings.
The Seattle Mariners formerly selected infielder Cole Barr in the 37th round of the 2019 MLB draft before he opted to return to IU. They selected Barr again in 2021, this time in the 15th round. Barr led the team with eight home runs, a .526 slugging percentage and a .415 on-base percentage. Both percentages totaled to a team-best .941 OPS, which was in the top 20 highest in the conference. The junior was named to the ABCA Midwest All-Region second team and All-Big Ten third team in 2021.
Outfielder Grant Richardson was the final Hoosier selected in the draft and was taken by the New York Yankees in the 17th round. Richardson led the team with a .320 batting average and was right behind Barr, posting a .517 slugging and .397 on-base percentage totaling a .914 OPS. The sophomore also led the team with 11 stolen bases, the fifth-most in the conference. Richardson was named to the ABCA Midwest All-Region second team and was a first-team All-Big Ten honoree in 2021.
Two IU signees also heard their name called during the three-day draft. The Chicago White Sox picked Colson Montgomery with the 22nd pick in the first round and the Washington Nationals selected T.J. White in the fifth round.
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