Kyle Schwarber and IU Baseball All-American Season
Kyle Schwarber set the tone of the huge frustration of the Seminoles in 2013 against the Florida bomb.
Courtesy of Indianapolis Star IU Athletics
- Kyle Schwarber's Big Bat helped Indiana with his first college World Series in 2013, and he was the Cubs' No. 4 draft pick in 2014.
Bloomington-Kyle Schwarber was in Chicago with his wife and former IU teammate Luke Harrison and Harrison's family in Chicago, and his phone call earlier this summer.
Waiting for him was a text message from IU deputy sports director Jeremy Gray, who also included Scott Dolson. Schwarber, Gray asked, have a moment of ad phone chat with IU?
When they connected, Dolson informed Schwarber that he was enlisted in the IU Hall of Fame in his first year of qualification.
“I'm a little shocked,” Schwarber said Friday.
Schwarber joins a seven-person class that also includes his former classmate Cody Zeller, which will be inducted into the IU Hall of Fame early next month. Schwarber will postpone his onboarding for the future as he cannot attend the September 5 ceremony, with the baseball season in Philadelphia.
For the best player in IU baseball history with a compelling argument, this won't downplay the meaning of this moment.
“It's not even on the radar,” he said. “Once they tell you, you get chills. You start to think back to everything in three years, everything we've done there, the team we have, how special it is.”
From 2012-14, Schwarber won a 125-game roster under former IU coach Tracy Smith.
In 2013, Hoosiers entered the University World Series for the first time in program history and supported it as a national seed in the 2014 NCAA Championship. They won the Top 10 regular season and championships in Schwarber's final two seasons.
The Locals Club in Middletown, Ohio has 40 home runs, driving on 149 runs, with a college career action of 1.044. He completed his IU career with 93 extra hits.
The Cubs selected Schwarber in 2014 to be ranked fourth, and two years later he was part of their World Series Championship Club. He has played in Chicago, Washington, Boston and Philadelphia in 11 major league seasons. His 321 home run is a former Hoosier record.
Now, he will be regarded as the 17th former IU baseball player to enter the College Track and Field Hall of Fame.
“For me personally, it's more about being the moment I'm always wearing it,” Schwarber said. “Just trying to win the moment I've been taught since I was a kid. A lot of people started in my life, but I think a lot of them started in Indiana.”
Schwarber has been active with his alma mater since leaving 11 years ago.
He was one of many attendees at the 10-year gathering of the Omaha team in 2023, and he served as a guest option last fall when ESPN GameDay first visited Bloomington on Saturday morning.
Given that Schwarber's career shows no signs of slowing down, when will he be able to return his onboarding? He has played 37 home runs for the NL East so far this season.
Schwarber watched playoff baseball at home only once during his major league career, a continuation of his success in Indiana. The advice he received from his Cubs teammates served him well and turned him into one of the most won alumni of any sport in IU history.
Jon Lester said, I think there is expectations for you, but I think the best advice I get in professional baseball says, 'How do you get paid? You'll be called a winner because if you win, that means you'll do a good job,” Schwarber said. “Try to win a day. Try to win the game. If you do this, you may do something good for your team. ”
Want more Indians Coverage? Zach Osterman,,,,, Michael Niziolek and Chloe Peterson Keep up with IU all season. Sign up for Indystar's Hoosiers Newsletter. Listen to your banner, our IU Athletics-focused podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you get a podcast.