Baseball
- Title:
- Director of Player Development
A 2023 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Scott Rolen enters his sixth season with the Indiana Baseball program. He serves as a Special Assistant to the Head Coach.
Rolen serves the current baseball student-athletes with valuable advice on lifestyle choices and making informed decisions when pursuing professional baseball careers. He also assists with on-campus recruiting in accordance with NCAA rules, and collaborates with the coaching staff when preparing for practice and competition.
Rolen played from 1996-2012 with four clubs (Phillies 1996-02; Cardinals 2002-07; Blue Jays 2008-09; Reds 2009-12), earned eight Gold Glove Awards, seven All-Star selections and won a World Series and one Silver Slugger Award winner. He was a lifetime .281 hitter with 2,077 hits, 316 home runs, 1,287 RBIs and scored 1,211 runs.
In 2011, he became just the fourth third baseman to have 2,000 hits, 500 doubles, 300 home runs and 1,200 RBIs in a career, joining Mike Schmidt, George Brett and Chipper Jones.
Rolen reached the major leagues for the first time in 1996 with the Phillies and was named the National League Rookie of the Year the following season. During the 1998 campaign with the Phillies, he won the first of his eight Gold Glove Awards, which rank third all-time amongst third basemen, trailing Hall of Famers Brooks Robinson (16) and Schmidt (10).
In 2002, he was traded to the St. Louis and later that year earned the Silver Slugger Award, given annually to the best offensive player at each position in both the National and American leagues.
His 2004 season was one of the best of his career, as he hit .314 with 34 home runs and 124 RBIs, finishing first in the All-Star voting and fourth in the NL MVP voting while his team won the NL Central. Later that postseason, he hit a two-run home run in game seven of NLCS that proved to be the game-winner.
In 2006, he returned from an injury and hit .292 with 22 home runs and 95 RBI, as the Cardinals went on to win the World Series. He was a nominee for NL Comeback Player of the Year after missing 2005 with the injury.
A native of Jasper, Indiana, Rolen attended Jasper High School and was named Indiana’s Mr. Baseball during his senior season in 1993. He additionally played basketball and tennis, and was a runner-up for Indiana’s Mr. Basketball. He was drafted by the Phillies in the 1993 MLB Draft.
