There were a couple quotes that did not make my feature story on Hoosiers' freshman catcher Kyle Schwarber that I want to make available to readers of this blog ...
Hoosiers' freshman catcher Kyle Schwarber also played linebacker at Middletown High School. I asked him if it was at all difficult to give up football.
"A little bit," he said. "When I came here, I was thinking about doing both. I just decided two sports is pretty hard to handle in college."
IU Coach Tracy Smith loved what Schwarber could do offensively. The freshman catcher is among the top three Hoosier batters in many offensive categories.
Entering play on Tuesday, he leads the team in home runs. He leads the team in runs scored. He leads the team in doubles, triples, and RBI. He's first on the team in slugging percentage and total bases. He's tied for the team lead in sacrifice flies.
He's second on the team in walks drawn. He's second on the team in hits, with 44. (He's second on the team in stolen bases, too.)
He's third on the team in batting average and on-base percentage.
I asked him what made him so successful offensively as a freshman.
"Having the mental approach thinking you're going to kill the ball every time the pitcher throws it," he said. "If you think you're the best out there, you're going to be the best.
"That's how I think when I'm up there: I'm going to crush the ball every time he brings it."
Additionally, there's a quote from Smith that didn't make the feature story.
The quote originated in the following paragraph:
Smith said Schwarber's toughness has helped him carry a large role.
"You're asking a lot of a first-year catcher," Smith said. "From fall all the way to here, he's had to carry a lion's share of what's going on behind the plate. I think guys appreciate his toughness.
"We're on him, not only the ..."
For the rest of the quote, and, as Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story, click here.
