Six Indiana baseball players and three incoming Hoosier freshmen were selected in the three-day, 20-round Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, which took place July 14-16 in Arlington, Texas. No Big Ten school had more players selected than Indiana. This marks the third time in head coach Jeff Mercer’s six-year tenure that Indiana has had six or more players picked in the same draft.
Junior right-handed pitcher Luke Sinnard was the first Hoosier off the board, selected in the third round — ninth overall — by the Atlanta Braves. Although he missed the 2024 season while recovering from an elbow injury sustained in 2023 at the Lexington Regional, Sinnard improved his already-solid draft stock with a strong showing at the MLB Draft Combine, impressing scouts with his fastball velocity and spin rate. He leaves Indiana as the program’s single-season strikeout record holder, setting the mark at 114 in 2023, his lone season in the cream and crimson.
The Toronto Blue Jays selected junior outfielder Nick Mitchell with their compensation pick — 136th overall — one which they received after losing third baseman Matt Chapman to the San Francisco Giants in free agency prior to the 2024 season. After spending two years at Western Illinois University, Mitchell flourished at Indiana, becoming a productive staple in the middle of the lineup. He batted .335 with 49 RBIs in 54 games played. He posted a .344 batting average in his three-year collegiate career, finishing one hit shy of 200.
Fellow junior outfielder Carter Mathison was taken by the Philadelphia Phillies in the fifth round — 162nd overall. An everyday starter from Day 1, Mathison played in all of Indiana’s 182 games between 2022-24. The Fort Wayne, Indiana, native paired his powerful left-handed bat with plus defense in center field in 2024, posting a 1.000 fielding percentage in 63 games. He ends his Indiana career with 42 home runs, good for sixth all-time. His 19 home runs in 2022 set a record among Indiana freshmen.
Hard-throwing sophomore right-handed pitcher Connor Foley was nabbed by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth round — 164th overall. A potent but raw arm, Foley’s mid-90s fastball and mid-80s slider helped him pitch to the tune of a 4.71 ERA and .165 batting average against in 63 innings.
His command faltered at times — Foley posted a 1.67 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.37 WHIP in 2024, indicating that opponents took advantage of his mistakes when possible. He was Indiana’s Saturday starter for the bulk of the season, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors despite missing two starts in April due to a back injury.
After a junior campaign derailed by injury, catcher Brock Tibbitts was selected in the 13th round by the Blue Jays. He missed all of April with a lower-body injury but returned for the final 16 games, manning first base. Tibbitts leaves Indiana with a .313 batting average, 199 hits and 154 RBIs in 168 games played. He holds the record for consecutive starts in the Mercer era after being penciled in for 149 straight games between 2022-24.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Brayden Risedorph was selected in the 20th round by the Chicago Cubs. Risedorph was a staple in the Indiana bullpen in his two-year career, appearing in 46 games and pitching over 100 innings. He holds an impressive 2.49 strikeout-to-walk ratio, racking up 117 strikeouts to just 47 walks. After being named a freshman All-American by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper in 2023, Risedorph’s performance faltered in 2024.
Had his ERA been lower than 8.31 — nearly twice as high as the previous year — and his home runs-per-nine innings fewer than 1.5 — a fivefold increase from his freshman campaign — he may have been taken earlier than the final round. Nevertheless, he and Foley represent the two draft-eligible sophomores selected by MLB clubs.
A trio of incoming Indiana freshmen were selected by the Milwaukee Brewers: right-handed pitcher Griffin Tobias in the ninth round, shortstop Cooper Malamazian in the 17th round and right-hander Henry Brummel in the 20th round. These Indiana signees have the option to sign professionally or report to Bloomington to begin their collegiate careers.
