Portal news (Updated 8/9)...

[ptrich]

Ethan Vecrumba has entered the portal and that's not a surprise since he spent most of his time here as a pinch runner and no much time on the field. I thought he was a promising player when he first arrived, but things just didn't work out.

Another familiar name that has entered the portal is ex-IU and probably now ex-Purdue player Paul Toetz. I believe Toetz might be drafted high enough to move on to the minor leagues since he had two pretty good years at Purdue, so we will see on that. I wonder if his sister is still an academic advisor for the Purdue athletic department. Purdue currently has six players in the portal to include Toetz.

 

[indiana ed]

Don't blame them,I wouldn't play there either!

 

[ptrich]

The transfer portal has around 1,950 players in it as of right now. Last season, there were over 2,500 players that entered the portal. Players have until July 13th to enter the portal and still be eligible to play next season.

The MLB draft will take place during the period of July 9-11, shortly after the end of the CWS in Omaha.

 

[ptrich]

Six new names have appeared in the portal. A couple of them are a surprise, at least to me.

Matt Ellis
Luke Hayden
Jorge De Goti
Craig Yoho
Adrian Vega
Bradley Hellman

 

[gonnerm]

Six new names have appeared in the portal. A couple of them are a surprise, at least to me.

Matt Ellis
Luke Hayden
Jorge De Goti
Craig Yoho
Adrian Vega
Bradley Hellman

Definitely a couple surprises here. Ellis was hurt most of the season but has immense power. Hayden struggled but has a ton of arm talent. Think Yoho is probably a draft candidate.

 

[Orford]

I think Brock may be targeted to be #1 catcher next year so maybe that plays into Ellis? As for pitchers it could be vote on pitching coach who knows. I’d prefer to keep Yoho but figured he’d be done with school looking at draft. Hayden seems to be all heat and no control and to me a lost cause given control issues remain. De Goti not surprised as didn’t crack lineup

 

[TomEric4756]

Yoho has done enough rehab seasons to graduate.
Listed as a R Sr on the roster.
Doesn’t seem to have anything to lose, by using the portal as a backup plan for minor league baseball.

 

[ptrich]

Definitely a couple surprises here. Ellis was hurt most of the season but has immense power. Hayden struggled but has a ton of arm talent. Think Yoho is probably a draft candidate.

Ellis was somewhat of a surprise. He has a big bat, but was not considered the defensive catcher that Serruto was. AJ Shepard did not play at all this season and the freshman was either being redshirted or was dealing with an issue. I don't know if Langerman still has eligibility left, but I believe he does.

With major league teams always looking for pitching, Yoho probably does have a decent to good chance of being drafted, but just how high that would be obviously remains to be seen. It was a surprise to see his name in the portal. Not all players that enter the portal stay there, so there is always that.

 

[gonnerm]

Ellis was somewhat of a surprise. He has a big bat, but was not considered the defensive catcher that Serruto was. AJ Shepard did not play at all this season and the freshman was either being redshirted or was dealing with an issue. I don't know if Langerman still has eligibility left, but I believe he does.

With major league teams always looking for pitching, Yoho probably does have a decent to good chance of being drafted, but just how high that would be obviously remains to be seen. It was a surprise to see his name in the portal. Not all players that enter the portal stay there, so there is always that.

Austin Bode is also there at catcher. Highly regarded Louisville transfer. Plus one in the recruiting class. TJ Schuyler.

 

[ptrich]

Austin Bode is also there at catcher. Highly regarded Louisville transfer. Plus one in the recruiting class. TJ Schuyler.

Yes, you're right about him being there also and he is a somewhat of a local kid out of Columbus IN.

 

[Orford]

I believe AJ Shepard was the guy in dugout with full arm brace (tj surgery?) throughout season. I know he was out all season with arm injury

 

[ptrich]

I believe AJ Shepard was the guy in dugout with full arm brace (tj surgery?) throughout season. I know he was out all season with arm injury

I hadn't seen or heard anything on him at all this season and he was one of the key recruits coming in this past season. Analysts said that IU was fortunate to get him along with Taylor on campus, so that explains why he kind of "disappeared."

 

[rcaulfie]

I believe AJ Shepard was the guy in dugout with full arm brace (tj surgery?) throughout season. I know he was out all season with arm injury

Yeah, they had him mic'ed up once when I was watching. Definitely had some work done on that arm.

 

[ptrich]

Just thought I would mention that I saw that Coach Smith lost one of his key players to the SEC with Michigan's Ted Burton entering the portal and transferring to Texas A&M as a grad transfer. Holding down the 2B position, he hit 13 homers and had 45 RBIs. Texas A&M is one of those schools that has been identified as one of the top schools offering massive NIL inducements to high school and portal players. I don't know if that was a factor, but I thought I would mention it. Burton is also eligible for the upcoming draft, so there is that factor also.

In addition to losing coaches to the SEC, we have to be concerned about losing top players from the B1G to that conference also. Just saying.

 

[Next time]

IU will never compete from an NIL perspective, especially for baseball. But shouldn’t they at least try? The only thing I see published is the NIL store, if you want to buy a tshirt with a players name or a few players were picked to do something for a charity and I assume they received a small amount. Why not set one up for baseball, with donation tiers, the money goes to the players and see what happens? Gotta start somewhere and maybe it catches on and there are more IU baseball fans than we realize or a one that has super deep pockets!

 

[hookyIU1990]

Glasser and Whalen had deals with HFG, but you're right. We're not going to compete with SEC schools on the NIL front for baseball players without something/someone stepping in.

 

[kraft cheese+macaroni]

Glasser and Whalen had deals with HFG, but you're right. We're not going to compete with SEC schools on the NIL front for baseball players without something/someone stepping in.

 

[Bucket Getter]

The catcher with the bad wing (AJ) was very visible in every game I watched. Seemed very engaged and a good teammate. But whatever he had done must’ve been big because he had that big brace/cast device completely stabilizing his arm all season long.

 

[ptrich]

IU doesn't have any new names entering the portal so far, but we have picked up three players. Two of the pickups are from Illinois and Purdue, and the third is from Bellarmine.

RHP Ty Rybarcyk is a grad student coming over from the Illini. He pitched in just one game this season where he went 4.0 IP against Wake Forest which just got eliminated in the CWS tonight, and he gave up 7 ERs in that game and didn't pitch in another game this season. I'm guessing he had some kind of injury issue, but I just don't know.

His stats from the 2022 season were an ERA of 5.30 in 37.1 IP while starting in two games and coming out of the bullpen in 20 games.




This was included in gonnerm's thread below so it's a repeat, but I threw in some stats on him during his season with the Boilers. Catcher Jake Stadler is coming over from the Boilers and he redshirted last year as a freshman and appeared in 25 games this season while starting in 13 games. He hit .034 on the season.




RHP Drew Buhr out of Bellarmine is the third player transferring in. He pitched in 14 games this past season, starting all 14 games. His ERA was 8.12 in 75.1 IP. He had trouble with the XBHs, giving up 38 of them to include 19 homers, so here's hoping for better results at IU. I couldn't find a twitter account for him.

 

[Next time]

Not so exciting news on the portal so far. I would expect more SP help vs. bullpen arms with depth up the middle with maybe a gradT to compete at ss with the returners being young. But SP is the key, with a very strong returning lineup.

 

[gonnerm]

Common theme with Buhr and Rybarczyk - both have impressive stuff but haven't put it together yet. Glant seems to love this kind of dude. Buhr was up to 97 in the spring and Rybarczyk is a low to mid 90s guy when healthy.

 

[Bucket Getter]

Not so exciting news on the portal so far. I would expect more SP help vs. bullpen arms with depth up the middle with maybe a gradT to compete at ss with the returners being young. But SP is the key, with a very strong returning lineup.

Cerny will be the SS for the next couple years. Need to find a solid 2B now.

 

[kraft cheese+macaroni]

Cerny will be the SS for the next couple years. Need to find a solid 2B now.

Did he play SS in HS?

 

[Bucket Getter]

Did he play SS in HS?

Yes. 4 year starter. Lost one year by Covid and the next year he was sick for a big chunk of the season. He'll be as good as Glasser, which is very solid.

 

[ekk]

Cerny will be the SS for the next couple years. Need to find a solid 2B now.

Im thinking Goforth will start off playing 2nd. Agree with Cerny at SS

 

[Orford]

Im thinking Goforth will start off playing 2nd. Agree with Cerny at SS

Seems most likely

 

[ptrich]

A couple of transfer news within the B1G that are significant.

One of Rutgers top players is following the Terps former coach Rob Vaughn to Alabama and he is OF Evan Sleight who hit .315 this past season with 12 homers and 44 RBIs.

Iowa is losing one of their top returning players in 2B Sam Hojnar who is transferring to Maryland, and he hit .255 on the season with 24 XBHs to include 10 homers and had 59 RBIs. According to the Hawkeye faithful, the move was for financial reasons.

 

[gonnerm]

Another new one. LHP who had a great junior year at Lipscomb but struggled as a senior. Yet another big arm.

 

[ptrich]

View embedded media

Another new one. LHP who had a great junior year at Lipscomb but struggled as a senior. Yet another big arm.

I checked his stats out and you're right about his junior year vs. this season, so here's hoping a change in scenery helps him regain his previous form. There was a significant difference in the IPs, so I don't know if that was because of some injury issue or it was just a coach's decision.

In 2022, he had an ERA of 3.41 in 41.2 IPs and an OBA of just .119, and he appeared in 25 games, all in relief. He gave up just three doubles and one homer over that period.

For 2023. he had an ERA of 6.50 in 18.1 IPs and he appeared in 14 games, all in relief. He had 23 Ks to 9 BBs and an OBA of .311. He gave up the same number of XBHs as in 2022 with three doubles and one homer.

 

[Next time]

@ptrich or anyone else who may have done the research. How can these teams pickup so many grad transfers with only 11.7 scholarships? IU seems to have a good blend of freshman thru seniors each year, then grab 7-8 GTs. The schools not cheap.

 

[ptrich]

@ptrich or anyone else who may have done the research. How can these teams pickup so many grad transfers with only 11.7 scholarships? IU seems to have a good blend of freshman thru seniors each year, then grab 7-8 GTs. The schools not cheap.

For me, I have no idea on how all of this is being managed. Iowa losing 2B Sam Hojnar over not having enough financial support for him kind of touched based on some of this. Here is a somewhat long, but interesting article on the Hojnar situation and how the scholarship/NIL situation there caused him to head to B1G rival Maryland.

Iowa's attempt to raise NIL money for Sam Hojnar falls short - Hawk Fanatic

By Pat Harty IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa baseball coach Rick Heller had a meeting on Tuesday that left him feeling sad, frustrated and even a little angry. Because it was during this meeting that Heller bid farewell to Sam Hojnar as a player. They met for about 45 minutes and that’s when Hojnar told […]

hawkfanatic.com

 

[kraft cheese+macaroni]

For me, I have no idea on how all of this is being managed. Iowa losing 2B Sam Hojnar over not having enough financial support for him kind of touched based on some of this. Here is a somewhat long, but interesting article on the Hojnar situation and how the scholarship/NIL situation there caused him to head to B1G rival Maryland.

Iowa's attempt to raise NIL money for Sam Hojnar falls short - Hawk Fanatic

By Pat Harty IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa baseball coach Rick Heller had a meeting on Tuesday that left him feeling sad, frustrated and even a little angry. Because it was during this meeting that Heller bid farewell to Sam Hojnar as a player. They met for about 45 minutes and that’s when Hojnar told […]

hawkfanatic.com

There's enough money that some of these non-revenue sports could have been full funded with scholarships before now, but that won't happen in the NIL and realignment world. It sucks. Makes recruiting in-state kids potentially more valuable too. Less expensive.

 

[ptrich]

Portal is showing Northwestern's RHP Ben Grable as a pickup for IU. I couldn't find a twitter account for him. As a junior this past season, he had an ERA of 5.58 in 30.2 IPs. He had 36 Ks to 16 BBs and an OBA of .235. He gave up 10 XBHs to include three homers. He appeared in 18 games, starting two games. He faced IU this season in relief and pitched 4.1 IP giving up six hits and four runs, all earned. He K'd 4 and gave up 3 BBs in a game in which IU scored three runs in the 12th to win 5-2.

 

[gonnerm]

Portal is showing Northwestern's RHP Ben Grable as a pickup for IU. I couldn't find a twitter account for him. As a junior last season, he had an ERA of 5.58 in 30.2 IPs. He had 36 Ks to 16 BBs and an OBA of .235. He gave up 10 XBHs to include three homers. He appeared in 18 games, starting two games. He faced IU this season in relief and pitched 4.1 IP giving up six hits and four runs, all earned. He K'd 4 and gave up 3 BBs in a game in which IU scored three runs in the 12th to win 5-2.

 

[kraft cheese+macaroni]

Portal is showing Northwestern's RHP Ben Grable as a pickup for IU. I couldn't find a twitter account for him. As a junior this past season, he had an ERA of 5.58 in 30.2 IPs. He had 36 Ks to 16 BBs and an OBA of .235. He gave up 10 XBHs to include three homers. He appeared in 18 games, starting two games. He faced IU this season in relief and pitched 4.1 IP giving up six hits and four runs, all earned. He K'd 4 and gave up 3 BBs in a game in which IU scored three runs in the 12th to win 5-2.

we seem to be taking on some projects on the pitching front. That route was mostly successful for us last year, I think

 

[Next time]

Projects are great, but why can’t we seem to get 2-3 proven arms and establish an actual rotation. Right now, we have Kraft, Risedorf, ??? as weekend guys who have some type of track record. I like the additions who seem to help the bullpen, but I hope the ‘committee’ approach isn’t IUs strategy.

 

[gonnerm]

Projects are great, but why can’t we seem to get 2-3 proven arms and establish an actual rotation. Right now, we have Kraft, Risedorf, ??? as weekend guys who have some type of track record. I like the additions who seem to help the bullpen, but I hope the ‘committee’ approach isn’t IUs strategy.

Is Sinnard gone?

 

[ptrich]

Two new names have entered the portal. Evan Goforth has entered the portal and it also shows Dylan Warda who wasn't on the 2023 roster as also entering the portal from IU.

 

[ekk]

Two new names have entered the portal. Evan Goforth has entered the portal and it also shows Dylan Warda who wasn't on the 2023 roster as also entering the portal from IU.

Mmm looks like my prediction of Goforth starting at 2nd next season might not happen 🥺

 

[ptrich]

Craig Yoho is headed to Arkansas, as another B1G player bolts for the SEC. He may not make it there depending on what happens in the MLB draft.