Hoosiers Starting Pitcher, Eric Arnett (Indiana), Listed at No. 18 In Baseball America’s Top-100 Prospects
Though he struggled in his previous two collegiate season, the junior pitcher blazed a trial through the Big Ten this season, helping to lead Indiana to their first Big Ten Championship since 1996 and a No. 4 seed in the Louisville Regional. The Hoosiers next play the No. 1 Cardinals in the opening round on Friday, May 29.
Eric Arnett expected to be first-round draft selection in 2009.
Before arm stiffness shelved former Golden Eagles pitcher Eric Arnett (Indiana) in the middle of the 2008 summer season, he started three games with five walks and 14 strikeouts in over 19 innings pitched.
After being named Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Year for 2009, the College Baseball Foundation named Arnett a finalist for National Pitcher of the Year and a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award.
As a starter for the Hoosiers in the 2009 season, Arnett boosts a 12-1 win-loss record and stands tied for Indiana’s single-season wins record. With a mere 2.58 ERA and 103 strikeouts, just six shy of the all-time collegiate mark, and 35 walks in over 101 innings, Arnett ranks fourth in the nation in wins, 19th in K’s, and 21st in ERA.
Draft experts expect Arnett to come off the board somewhere in the first round of the 2009 MLB Draft, which would be Glen Falls’ highest team draft pick. Baseball America lists him No. 18 on its most recent top-100 prospects list.
At 6’5”, 225 pounds, the right-handed hurler, Arnett, overpowers hitters with a rising fastball and a sensational slider. Despite flashes of lower-90 speed, Arnett’s increased his velocity this season, especially in the later innings as he’s now averaging nearly eight innings per start. Arnett’s now up to the high 90s and keeps the ball low in the strike zone so opposing hitters struggle picking up his location.
According to Indiana assistant coach Ty Neal, Arnett’s been able to keep up his speed pitches in later innings and rarely relied on other pitches, such as a splitter or changeup, because no one hitter in the Big Ten has been able to catch up to his other two.
“He’s just gotten stronger, and he’s gotten better every year. Before, he was a 92 (mph) guy and the ball was flat in the zone. Now, he’s bigger and stronger, the slider’s a little better and he’s starting to miss bats and beat guys with his fastball,” Neal said.
Here’s what Baseball America had to say,
“Arnett will need to improve his changeup to remain a starter in pro ball, and some scouts think he lands too hard on his front leg in his delivery. Others say his mechanics are fine, and enough teams like him that he should go in the second half of the first round.”
