Hoosier ranks thinned by draft

Andrew Means has never been so happy to go to Montana. \nAfter putting his name on the line on his first Major-League contract Saturday, Means will head to Billings, Mont., to play for the Billings Mustangs, a Cincinnati Reds’ affiliate in the rookie-class Pioneer League. \nBut answering perhaps the question on most fans’ minds, Means, drafted by the Reds in the 11th round – 329th overall, said he might still play football. \nMeans said essentially that the Reds left “a hole” in his contract, which says that he has the option to return to IU in the fall for football. He said his status will be re-evaluated in August, at which time the Reds could pay him more to stick solely with baseball. Ultimately, it will be his decision. \n“There’s gonna be that time where I have to decide whether I want to stick with baseball or come back and play football,” Means said by phone Saturday night. \nMeans came to IU on a football scholarship three years ago, but he admitted that he always had dreams of playing professional baseball as well. After injuries dictated a redshirt his freshman year, he walked on with the IU baseball team, eventually installing himself as the starting center fielder and lead-off hitter, where his hitting and exceptional speed served the Hoosiers well. \n“He runs like a deer,” one scout said of Means during the Michigan series in late April. \nIn his final season as a Hoosier, Means hit .357 and led the Big Ten with 72 runs. He also garnered two Big Ten Player of the Week honors – one after hitting a seventh-inning, game-tying home run in the first of three IU wins over Purdue and another for hitting .563 over the last weekend of the regular season in a four-game sweep of Michigan State. That sweep put the Hoosiers in the Big Ten Tournament for the first time in five years. \n“Just knowing that I was part of getting Indiana baseball turned around,” Means said of his career in Bloomington. “I was glad to be a part of that.”\nMeans was not the only Hoosier to end his college career over the weekend. Right-hander Tyler Tufts, also a junior, signed a contract with the Texas Rangers, who drafted Tufts in the 32nd round of the First-Year Player Draft. Tufts lodged a 6-5 record and a 5.65 ERA, striking out 52. \nTufts could not be reached for comment as of press time. \nMeans said he thinks he and Tufts are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of talent. He said it’s a good sign for IU baseball to have that kind of talent in the program. \n“Next year, who knows how many kids are gonna go pro off that team,” Means said. \nFor now, Means said the Reds are looking to develop what he called “raw” tools, and his goal is to be in the Majors in three years or less. \nMeans flew out to Billings on Sunday morning, bags packed and ready to take on his dream. To the “teddy bear” from Avon Lake, Ohio, it has all come full circle. \n“Knowing,” he said, “that my career has officially started, knowing that all the hard work growing up, playing in the front yard with my dad, my neighbors ... everything’s starting to fall into place.”