Indiana University Athletics
Scout Day A Success
10/7/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Oct. 7, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana head baseball coach Tracy Smith welcomed scouts from around major league baseball to Sembower Field for Scout Day on Thursday afternoon. The event was the first of what Smith says will be an annual staple in the Hoosier program.
"This was a good day," Smith said. "It's good for the kids to get out here and showcase their skills in front of the many friends from professional baseball that we have in the Midwest. For the coaching staff, a lot of the scouts are new to us, so it was fun to get to meet them and spend some time talking to them. Hopefully, we'll get to see a lot more of them in the spring."
Smith's Hoosiers went through a pro-style workout, beginning with the players running the 60-yard dash. The outfielders then got their chance to show off their arms, taking grounders in right field and throwing to third base and home. The infielders followed by taking grounders at third and deep short.
Draft-eligible players took two rounds of batting practice, and the day closed with an intrasquad scrimmage. Ten pitchers each worked a frame as the Hoosiers played a quick five-inning contest.
"We feel this is something that is going to be important for our program because one of the things we want to do is expose our kids to professional baseball," Smith said. "This is a key step in building the relationships and letting the pro scouts have access early on to our kids. That's one thing our guys are going to know. We are working for them, and our recruiting philosophy is that we are recruiting kids that not only want to get an unbelievable education from Indiana University but also want to play professional baseball."
