Burke Granger is D1Baseball's Midwest correspondent based out of Columbus, Ohio and he did a fall report on IU back on Dec 22nd, and iubase.com posted some excerpts from it on their X account. I saw the full D1 report and it's very long, but he believes IU to be stronger this year despite the loss of Sinnard from the weekend rotation and he led the B1G in Ks last season. Here is his leadoff comment about IU:
"After returning a core group from a team that was one game away from a super regional, the expectations from folks like this particular D1 Baseball staffer will be loftier this year."
I will post his comments under four different posts starting with the outfield.
Here is a very general summation of his views of the outfield.
Outfield:
Granger referred to IU's outfield with this statement: "The Hoosiers are exceptionally strong in the outfield, bolstered by a trio of guys with a proven track record of collegiate success and talent to play at the next level." He believes that Carter Mathison is likely to start in center field, and if not Mathison then it will be Nick Mitchell which is no revelation.
Granger had this to say about Mathison:
"Mathison can drive the ball to all fields, has excellent zone awareness, and Mercer has lauded his even-keeled demeanor. Although he’s played primarily in the corners in each of his first two seasons, Mathison is likely to start the season in center field."
Granger said this about Mitchell who was a Cape Cod League All-Star this past summer:
"A 5-foot-9, 180-pound lefthanded hitter, he’s shown the ability to drive the ball in the gaps and let his speed play on the bases. He’s likely slated for right field, but it also wouldn’t surprise me to see he and Mathison switch spots at some point. "
Devin Taylor will be back in left field and here are his quotes on Devin:
"The reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Devin Taylor is back in left field after slashing .315/.430/.650 with a team high 16 home runs and 59 RBIs."
"The ball just sounds different coming off Taylor’s bat, and he continued to stay on the barrel with wood bats over the summer, slugging .554 with eight homers for Keene in the New England Collegiate Summer League."
“I mean…Devin’s the man,” said Mercer. “He’s had a good fall. He’s gotten better defensively and he’s still one of the better offensive players I’ve ever been around. He’s the hardest worker, he’s the best kid. He’s smart and he’s just a dream to coach.”
He called Morgan Colopy as the probably one of the best fourth outfielders in the conference and here is his quote:
"There’s probably not a better fourth outfielder in the conference than Morgan Colopy. Drafted out of high school, Colopy struggled to get it going in the batter’s box last spring (.611 OPS), but he’s shown offensive upside at times during his career. Moreover, Mercer regards Colopy as one of the best defensive outfielders he’s ever coached."
He said this about Andrew Wiggins:
"Despite the crowded outfield, Andrew Wiggins is one of the more talented freshmen to make it to campus in the entire country and is going to get an opportunity. The Hoosiers’ modus operandi is they’re going to play their freshmen early and find out what they have. Thus far, that process has helped sustain a winning program. Wiggins reportedly played well in the second half of the fall season and will be in the mix in the outfield, designated hitter and as a lefthanded bat off the bench."
"After returning a core group from a team that was one game away from a super regional, the expectations from folks like this particular D1 Baseball staffer will be loftier this year."
I will post his comments under four different posts starting with the outfield.
Here is a very general summation of his views of the outfield.
Outfield:
Granger referred to IU's outfield with this statement: "The Hoosiers are exceptionally strong in the outfield, bolstered by a trio of guys with a proven track record of collegiate success and talent to play at the next level." He believes that Carter Mathison is likely to start in center field, and if not Mathison then it will be Nick Mitchell which is no revelation.
Granger had this to say about Mathison:
"Mathison can drive the ball to all fields, has excellent zone awareness, and Mercer has lauded his even-keeled demeanor. Although he’s played primarily in the corners in each of his first two seasons, Mathison is likely to start the season in center field."
Granger said this about Mitchell who was a Cape Cod League All-Star this past summer:
"A 5-foot-9, 180-pound lefthanded hitter, he’s shown the ability to drive the ball in the gaps and let his speed play on the bases. He’s likely slated for right field, but it also wouldn’t surprise me to see he and Mathison switch spots at some point. "
Devin Taylor will be back in left field and here are his quotes on Devin:
"The reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Devin Taylor is back in left field after slashing .315/.430/.650 with a team high 16 home runs and 59 RBIs."
"The ball just sounds different coming off Taylor’s bat, and he continued to stay on the barrel with wood bats over the summer, slugging .554 with eight homers for Keene in the New England Collegiate Summer League."
“I mean…Devin’s the man,” said Mercer. “He’s had a good fall. He’s gotten better defensively and he’s still one of the better offensive players I’ve ever been around. He’s the hardest worker, he’s the best kid. He’s smart and he’s just a dream to coach.”
He called Morgan Colopy as the probably one of the best fourth outfielders in the conference and here is his quote:
"There’s probably not a better fourth outfielder in the conference than Morgan Colopy. Drafted out of high school, Colopy struggled to get it going in the batter’s box last spring (.611 OPS), but he’s shown offensive upside at times during his career. Moreover, Mercer regards Colopy as one of the best defensive outfielders he’s ever coached."
He said this about Andrew Wiggins:
"Despite the crowded outfield, Andrew Wiggins is one of the more talented freshmen to make it to campus in the entire country and is going to get an opportunity. The Hoosiers’ modus operandi is they’re going to play their freshmen early and find out what they have. Thus far, that process has helped sustain a winning program. Wiggins reportedly played well in the second half of the fall season and will be in the mix in the outfield, designated hitter and as a lefthanded bat off the bench."
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