The crack of the bat and resounding pop of baseball gloves have been somewhat rare over the last few months. Big league stadiums have mostly gone untouched, and college fields have been silent since the season’s cancellation in March. Even local sandlots don’t have their usual hum.
More recently though, smaller midwest cities like Mandan, North Dakota, and Westfield, Indiana, have hosted collegiate summer league action for multiple weeks. A handful of Hoosiers have been back on the diamond around the country, and some of their young core has impressed early on.
Freshman pitcher Zach Behrmann has tossed eight innings without allowing an earned run. Freshman outfielder Ethan Vecrumba, who started 10 games for the Hoosiers last season, and incoming freshman infielder Kip Fougerousse have combined for 16 hits in 31 at bats, with eight RBI and nine runs scored.
Fougerousse, a 6-foot 3-inch right-hander from Linton, Indiana, could be an instant contributor for IU if his summer performance carries over into the spring. In high school, Fougerousse was clocked throwing the ball across the diamond at 90 miles per hour and posted an exit velocity off the bat at 100 miles per hour, according to Prep Baseball Report.
Fougerousse also gained attention from professional scouts, and attended a workout with the Texas Rangers earlier this year.
It may be more difficult for the 10-man 2020 recruiting class to find playing time with an expanded returning roster after an extra year of eligibility was granted to spring athletes. But Fougerousse could set himself up for time on the field if he continues to stand out among upperclassmen this summer.
Here’s an updated look at how IU players are faring in the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana.
The A-Team (7-3-1)
Cole Barr, junior infielder: 7 for 12, four runs scored, five RBI, one double, one triple, one home run
Zach Behrmann, freshman pitcher: Eight innings pitched, zero earned runs, eight strikeouts, three walks
Tropics (2-5-2)
Braydon Tucker, sophomore pitcher: Three innings pitched, one earned run, four strikeouts. At the plate, he’s 1 for 9 with four strikeouts and three walks.
Connor Manous, redshirt junior pitcher: Two innings pitched, zero runs allowed, three strikeouts. At the plate, he’s hitless in two at bats.
Garrett Manous, freshman outfielder: 2 for 8, three runs scored, two walks, one strikeout
Drew Ashley, junior utility: 1 for 11 with four strikeouts
Turf Monsters (3-3-4)
Ethan Vecrumba, freshman outfielder: 9 for 14 with five doubles, one triple, six runs scored and 2 RBI
Reese Sharp, freshman pitcher: Four innings pitched, four hits allowed, one run allowed, four strikeouts
Tyler Nelson, incoming freshman infielder: Hitless in seven at bats with two RBI, four strikeouts and two walks
Snapping Turtles (6-2-2)
Casper Clark, incoming freshman pitcher: Six innings pitched, two earned runs, three hits allowed, nine strikeouts and three walks
Kip Fougerousse, incoming freshman infielder: 7 for 17 with six RBI, one double, one triple and three runs scored
West of Indiana, redshirt senior catcher Collin Hopkins has helped the Mandan Flickertails to a 11-5 record and first place standing in the North Dakota division of the Northwoods League. Hopkins has connected for nine hits in 39 at bats, with seven runs scored, nine RBI and five doubles.
In the Kernels Collegiate League in Normal, Illinois, sophomore pitchers Gabe Bierman and McCade Brown and freshman pitcher David Platt have begun their schedules. Statistics have not yet been released by the league.
More updates will be provided throughout the summer.
