Two Indiana University Baseball Players selected on final day of MLB Draft
A pair of right-handers came off the board for the Indiana baseball program on day three of the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft, as Bradley Brehmer was taken in the 12th round by the Baltimore Orioles and Reese Sharp was a 20th round pick of the Orioles.
Brehmer joins fellow rotation-mate Jack Perkins as selections in the 2022 event and, along with Sharp’s selection, gives Indiana 11 pitchers drafted under head coach Jeff Mercer. With two picks on the final day of the draft, IU has had 103 Hoosier drafted all-time for a total of 114 total draft picks. Baltimore has now selected five Hoosiers in the draft, all since 2001. The last Indiana pick to Baltimore came in 2009 when Kipp Schultz was a 19th round pick by the club. The Orioles double up on Hoosiers in the same draft for the first time and are the first MLB club since Atlanta in 2019 to draft multiple Indiana baseball student-athletes in the same draft. That season, the Braves took right-handed pitcher Tanner Gordon (6th round) and infielder Cade Bunnell (40th round).
Brehmer owned 49 career appearances on the mound with 43 starts. After spending three seasons at Wright State, he made his Indiana debut in relief in the middle game of the season-opening series at Clemson, before making his debut in the rotation in the series finale versus Missouri State on March 6. His complete game effort in an elimination game versus Illinois at the Big Ten Tournament earned him Big Ten All-Tournament Team honors. He was the first IU pitcher to earn all-tournament team honors since Christian Morris (2014).
In all, Brehmer appeared in 17 games on the mound with 14 starts and served as the No. 2 starter during Big Ten play. He collected a team-best five wins and posted four quality starts. He held the opponent to three-or-fewer earned runs in eight starts and issued two-or-fewer walks in 10 outings, including eight starts. Along with his team-best five wins, he ranked No. 2 on the squad in ERA (5.30), batting average against (.254), games started (14), innings pitched (74.2) and strikeouts (77). His 200th career strikeouts came against Minnesota (5/15) in the second game of the doubleheader.
Sharp saw action in 23 games in 2022 with one start on the mound and collected three wins and four saves to lead the IU bullpen. He factored into seven straight decisions from April 23-May 13, with six of those in Big Ten play, including all three of his victories. He earned his first career start against No. 6 Stanford at the Round Rock Classic in February but was at his best out of the bullpen. He stranded 19 of 28 inherited runners and threw more than on inning of relief in 20 appearances. He led the team in games finished (11) and was tied for the lead in saves (4), while he finished No. 3 on the team in strikeouts (76) and appearances (23). The right-hander held the opposition to three-or-fewer earned runs in 18 appearances, including 12 straight games to end the season posted nine outings with zero walks. After not appearing during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Sharp made 34 career appearances for IU, with 33 coming out of the bullpen.
Indiana Black Expo presents Indiana University Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Woodson with award
Indiana Black Expo announced that it presented IU Head Basketball Coach Mike Woodson with the Excellence in Sports Award at the Pacers Sports and Entertainment Corporate Luncheon presented by Indiana University on Friday, July 15th at the Indiana Convention Center.
He led the Hoosiers to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2003 and helped three players earn All-Big Ten status including Trayce Jackson-Davis, Race Thompson and Xavier Johnson. His team also ended nine-game losing streaks to Purdue and Michigan and his staff landed the fifth-best recruiting class in the country according to 247Sports.
The 64-year-old was born on March 24, 1958, in Indianapolis. At Broad Ripple High School, he averaged 28.6 points as a senior, scored 1,154 points in his career, and earned All-State honors while being a member of the Indiana All-Stars. He was inducted into the IU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. Mike and his wife, Terri, have two daughters, Alexis and Mariah, who were volleyball players at Georgia Tech. Alexis also played one season at IU.
Funeral arrangements announced for former IU Diving Coach Hobie Billingsley
Funeral service information honoring legendary Indiana University diving coach Hobie Billingsley has been announced by Day & Deremiah-Frye Funeral Home in Bloomington. Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, July 23, 2022, at 11am in the funeral home with Pastor Travis Inman officiating. More information can be found here.
Billingsley passed away Saturday July 16, at the age of 95. Billingsley coached at Indiana from 1959-89, winning six NCAA and 23 Big Ten team championships in that span. He coached individuals that combined for 115 national titles, 22 Big Ten Championships and six Olympic medalists.
Indiana University Softball adds Aaron Clopton to coaching staff
Indiana University Softball head coach Shonda Santon has announced the addition of Aaron Clopton to the Indiana softball coaching staff. Clopton has been around the game of softball for over two decades having coached at the collegiate level, at Marshall and Kansas, in the private sector as co-owner and lead instructor of Team Performance indoor facility, and in travel ball with the Aces organization out of Kansas City. Most recently he assisted at the University of Kansas where he aided in overall program development, including offensive instruction and outfield position play.
Clopton had a two-year stint with Stanton at Marshall from 2006-2008 where he served as the pitching-catching coach and recruiting coordinator. In addition to his softball experience, Clopton has been an Assistant Professor at Marshall and Louisiana State and an Associate Professor at Kansas. Clopton has a B.S. in Sport Science/Sport Management, M.S. in Sociology of Sport, and Ph.D in Organizational Behavior in Sport Management, all from the University of Kansas. Clopton worked as a Field Artillery Officer in the Kansas Army National Guard from 2013-22. He was deployed in March 2018 to March 2019 where he served as a Fires Intelligence Officer and Executive Officer in the Arabian Peninsula under SEAL Team 3.
Annie Lazor and Mackenize Looze named to Team USA Swimming Dual in the Pool Roster
Two breaststroke swimmers with ties to Indiana swimming and diving were named to USA Swimming’s 2022 Duel in the Pool roster on Tuesday. IU senior Mackenize Looze and Indiana Swim Club’s Annie Lazor each earned selections ahead of the competition, an international meet between Team USA and Australia set for August 19-21 in Sydney, Australia. This year’s event will be the first rendition of the competition since 2015.
Lazor competed for Team USA earlier this summer at the 2022 FINA World Championships, where she finished 13th in the 50-meter breaststroke (30.89). At the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Lazor earned a bronze medal in the 200-meter event.
Looze had strong performances in the world championships qualifying event, the Phillips 66 International Team Trials, in April. She reached the A final in all four events she swam and earned top-five finishes in the 200 IM (2:13.28) and 400 IM (4:44.95). A five-time All-American, Looze has qualified for the NCAA Championships in each of her four seasons at IU.
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