Sabourin goes out as IU’s all-time hits leader

When Jerrud Sabourin’s name was announced prior to each at-bat at Sembower Field, his walk-up tune was “The Lazy Song” by Bruno Mars. 

However, don’t let the title fool you. Laziness would be the last adjective to describe Sabourin’s on-field success at IU.

The Hoosiers’ season-ending three losses last weekend at Illinois closed the senior’s record-breaking career. Sabourin leaves IU as the school’s all-time hits leader.

Growing up in San Diego, Sabourin’s path to Bloomington and the top of the IU record books was anything but easy.

From Arizona to IU, Joey DeNato has seen the same old Sabourin, just in a different jersey. The two former Torrey Pines High School teammates now don the cream and crimson, but DeNato said not much has changed in Sabourin.

“He was always the guy getting the clutch hits,” DeNato said. “He is the same kind of player he was in high school and has only improved a lot.”

Despite being named to numerous postseason All-League teams throughout southern California, Sabourin did not receive any scholarship offers out of high school.

The left-handed first baseman decided to enroll at the University of Arizona where he participated in walk-on tryouts. Sabourin said the tryouts were anything but tryouts; he was only able to take a few ground balls and swings before the Wildcats coaching staff sent everyone home, taking no one.

After one semester in Tucson, Ariz., Sabourin returned home to rethink his uncertain future, but said he knew for sure that baseball would be a part of it.
When IU coach Tracy Smith hit the San Diego area to scout potential players, he ran into Sabourin, and the player said the rest was history.

“I knew I wanted to play baseball, so I went home over winter break and worked out,” Sabourin said. “Skip came out to see a couple of guys and basically told me to come out as a walk-on.”

A mere five months after being denied from the team at Arizona, Sabourin would go on to start 59 of 60 games in 2008 for the Hoosiers while hitting .383 and being named a Freshman All-American.

The Hoosiers would get a taste of the NCAA Tournament during Sabourin’s sophomore campaign by capturing the 2009 Big Ten Tournament. The Second Team All-Big Ten selection scored seven runs during the Big Ten Tournament, including a home run in the championship game against Minnesota.

Sabourin followed up his all-conference sophomore season with another one in 2010, finishing the year hitting .394 and mashing out 95 hits, second only to teammate Alex Dickerson in the conference.

Due to IU’s lack of pitching depth, Sabourin also made nine appearances on the mound for the Hoosiers.

After IU’s 2010 season came to an end in the Big Ten Tournament, Sabourin’s attention went straight to the MLB Draft, for which he was eligible upon completing his
junior year.

Scouts told Sabourin he would be selected anywhere from the 10th round to the 25th round. One by one, the picks were announced, and Sabourin’s phone never rang with good news. Fifty rounds and 1,525 picks later, Sabourin realized his fate of not being selected in the 2010 MLB Draft.

“Last year was weird because I realized that the draft is a really weird process,” Sabourin said. “Some people will tell you that you will go in a certain round, but it can definitely not happen and then go the other way. I knew I needed to come back, continue to work hard and give myself a chance to help the team and get better.”

The Swan Song
Coming into the 2011 season, Sabourin was knocking on the door of becoming IU’s all-time hits leader.

The start of Sabourin’s final campaign was anything but storybook, though, as he struggled out of the gate.

Through IU’s first 10 games in 2011, Sabourin was hitting just .195 with zero extra-base hits and only one RBI compared to 2010 when he was hitting .454 with six extra base hits and 10 RBIs.

His skipper was not the least bit worried with his first baseman’s struggles, saying he “could fall out of bed and hit .380 for us.”

Sabourin began to find his stride and became IU’s all-time hits leader April 17 when he recorded his 306th career hit. The senior has started 226 consecutive games heading into the final regular-season series of 2011 this weekend at Illinois.

On a national scale, Sabourin’s 329 hits tie Campbell University’s Ellis Lowe for the most active hits among all Division I college baseball players.

Four years ago Sabourin did not even make it onto one college team, and now he will end his career as perhaps the most productive hitter in college baseball.

“He got off to an auspicious start, took our opportunity and went with it,” Smith said. “He is a great leader, a great kid and a great student.”

A guy that has never cared about his own individual numbers or accolades, Sabourin had a simple wish for his legacy at IU.

“I want to go out as a winner,” Sabourin said. He got that wish in a way despite the disappointing end to his senior season. The Hoosiers were 120-109 while Sabourin was with the team.