Schwarber, Travis named preseason All-America

Two members of the IU baseball team have been named first team All-Americans by Perfect Game USA.

Juniors Kyle Schwarber, catcher, and Sam Travis, first baseman, were given the honor on Jan. 20.

No other Big Ten players were named to the first or second team.

Schwarber is coming off a season where he hit .366 with 18 homeruns and 54 RBIs.

“Several college baseball coaches have said Schwarber is the best pure hitter they’ve seen in many seasons,” perfectgame.org said in the release.

Last season, Schwarber primarily batted No. 2 in the lineup with Travis batting No. 3, making a formidable lineup.

Travis hit .316 with 10 homeruns and 57 RBI’s last year.

IU is one of five schools to have multiple All-Americans.

This is not the first honor Schwarber or Travis have won. Both Schwarber and Travis were named Louisville Slugger All-Americans in December, as well.

Also in December, Schwarber was named the nation’s top catcher by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

The two Hoosier sluggers have potential to play at the next level. According to Baseball America, Schwarber is the No. 16 prospect for the 2014 draft, and Travis is the No. 50 prospect.

IU baseball kicks off their season on Feb. 14 in Lubbock, Tex. The Hoosiers will play the Texas Tech Red Raiders in a four-game stint.

— Evan Hoopfer