Indiana’s Devin Taylor Joins Exclusive Company As Big Ten Announces Baseball Awards

Indiana outfielder Devin Taylor has been a standout from the time he put on an Indiana baseball uniform. If there was any doubt of that, the Big Ten baseball awards announced on Tuesday confirmed Taylor’s greatness.

Taylor was named First Team All-Big Ten for the third straight season. Taylor became the first Hoosier to be named First Team All-Big Ten three times in a row since Mickey Morandini pulled it off from 1986-88.

Morandini would later enjoy an 11-season Major League Baseball career and Taylor could be destined for a similar fate if he can maintain his Indiana production in the professional ranks.

Taylor, from Cincinnati, hit .366 with 16 home runs and a career high 60 RBI. He had 75 hits and finished top three in the Big Ten with 51 walks.

Taylor should be chosen early in the MLB Draft this summer. MLB.com has Taylor ranked 23rd among its prospects – though it didn’t include Taylor in its most recent first round mock draft. ESPN rates Taylor as its 57th-best prospect.

Taylor was joined by Korbyn Dickerson on the First Team. Dickerson has been a sensation since his transfer from Louisville. Dickerson led the Big Ten with 77 RBI and contributed 19 home runs and 76 hits.

Dickerson is just the sixth player in program history to record 75 RBI in a season and sits fifth all-time in IU single season history. Dickerson is one home run from becoming the sixth player for the Hoosiers to hit 20 home runs in one campaign.

Dickerson was also selected to the Big Ten’s first-ever All-Defensive Team, voted on by the coaches. As a true center fielder, Dickerson had just two errors.

First baseman Jake Hanley also earned a high honor as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Hanley, also a Second Team All-Big Ten selection, hit 14 home runs and drove in 52 runs while starting all 54 games this year.  

The Mason, Ohio native led all Big Ten freshmen in batting average (.338), hits (71), home runs (14) and RBI (52).

Pitcher Cole Gilley was also Second Team All-Big Ten. The Indiana State transfer had the second-best strikeout-to-walk ratio (73-18) in the Big Ten among pitchers with at least 70 strikeouts. Opposing batters hit just .214 against Gilley, a native of Columbus, Ind.

Shortstop Cooper Malamazian and third baseman Will Moore both made the Big Ten All-Freshman team. Grant Holderfield was Indiana’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree.

Indiana began the Big Ten Tournament on Tuesday against Rutgers at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb.