Hanley, Malamazian Honored by Perfect Game
6/10/2025 2:00:00 PM | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana Baseball program has become notorious for recruiting high-level prep prospects and letting them play right away. As a result, IU has led the Big Ten in Freshman All-Americans since head coach Jeff Mercer took over the program in 2019.
That trend will continue this year.
Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley and freshman shortstop Cooper Malamazian were named First and Second Team Freshman All-Americans respectively by Perfect Game on Tuesday (June 10) afternoon. It's the third time in the last four years that multiple IU players have earned Freshman All-American honors.
Hanley, now a First Team Freshman All-American selection by the NCBWA and Perfect Game, was the 2025 Big Ten Freshman of the Year after starting all 56 games at first base for the Hoosiers. He hit .333 in his rookie campaign and collected 73 hits, 48 runs, 14 home runs and 52 RBIs. On top of that, he didn't commit a defensive error in over 400 chances.
Malamazian became the team's starting shortstop in March and never let the position go. He played in 55 games with 46 starts. He hit .320 with 55 base knocks and 40 RBIs. Two of his four home runs were eighth-inning, two-run home runs to spark comeback victories against Ohio State (3/14) and Maryland (4/18).
As of this week, Hanley and Malamazian are the 10th and 11th players to earn Freshman All-American honors at IU under Mercer. Hanley is well on his way to becoming the second unanimous Freshman All-American (Josh Pyne – 2022) in program history.
That trend will continue this year.
Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley and freshman shortstop Cooper Malamazian were named First and Second Team Freshman All-Americans respectively by Perfect Game on Tuesday (June 10) afternoon. It's the third time in the last four years that multiple IU players have earned Freshman All-American honors.
Hanley, now a First Team Freshman All-American selection by the NCBWA and Perfect Game, was the 2025 Big Ten Freshman of the Year after starting all 56 games at first base for the Hoosiers. He hit .333 in his rookie campaign and collected 73 hits, 48 runs, 14 home runs and 52 RBIs. On top of that, he didn't commit a defensive error in over 400 chances.
Malamazian became the team's starting shortstop in March and never let the position go. He played in 55 games with 46 starts. He hit .320 with 55 base knocks and 40 RBIs. Two of his four home runs were eighth-inning, two-run home runs to spark comeback victories against Ohio State (3/14) and Maryland (4/18).
As of this week, Hanley and Malamazian are the 10th and 11th players to earn Freshman All-American honors at IU under Mercer. Hanley is well on his way to becoming the second unanimous Freshman All-American (Josh Pyne – 2022) in program history.
Players Mentioned
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