Perfect Game likes the Hoosiers in 2021.
The national baseball publication picked IU to win the Big Ten and selected a bunch of others to its preseason All-Big Ten team, it announced on Friday. Among those selected was outfielder Grant Richardson, who was named the outlet’s Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year. Richardson was joined on the preseason All-Big Ten list by right-handers Gabe Bierman and Connor Manous.
Perfect Game also named righty McCade Brown as the league’s top 2021 MLB Draft prospect. Richardson came in at No. 5 on the Big Ten prospect list, followed by infielder Cole Barr at No. 14 and Manous at No. 39.
The full Perfect Game list of Big Ten honorees follows:
- C Ryan Hampe, Illinois
- 1B Maxwell Costes, Maryland
- MIF Shawn Goosenberg, Northwestern
- MIF Branden Comia, Illinois
- 3B Leighton Banjoff, Nebraska
- OF Grant Richardson, Indiana
- OF Randy Bednar, Maryland
- OF John Piacentino, Penn State
- DH Izaya Fullard, Iowa
- UT Spencer Schwellenbach, Nebraska
- SP Mason Eria, Michigan State
- SP Steve Hajjar, Michigan
- SP Gabe Bierman, Indiana
- SP Sean Burke, Maryland
- RP Connor Manous, Indiana
Penn taken in MLS SuperDraft
For the 52nd time since the league’s inception in 1996, a former Indiana men’s soccer player has been selected in the MLS Draft.
Inter Miami selected Josh Penn with the No. 10 overall pick in this week’s SuperDraft. Miami will be the third stop for Penn in a short span after he left IU to sign with Indy Eleven in August.
Penn played only once season for the Hoosiers, scoring six goals and recording two assists in 22 starts for Indiana as a freshman in 2019. His performance that fall earned him a spot on Top Drawer Soccer’s Freshman Best XI second team.
3 from swim/dive teams earn Big Ten honors
A trio of aquatic Hoosiers received recognition from the Big Ten this week. Andrew Capobianco was named Big Ten Men’s Diver of the Week, Jack Franzman was named Big Ten Men’s Swimmer of the Week and Anne Fowler was named Big Ten Women’s Freshman of the Week.
In his first meet back from an Olympic redshirt, Capobianco won the 1-meter (395.55) and 3-meter (467.93) diving events against Michigan and Northwestern. Franzman, meanwhile, won the 50 Freestyle (19.69) and the 100 Freestyle (43.52), and he anchored IU’s winning 400 Freestyle Relay team (2.55:34). On the women’s side, Fowler posted NCAA ‘A’ Standard scores in victories in both the 1-meter (308.18) and 3-meter (365.63) diving events against the Wolverines and Wildcats.