IU Baseball Director of Player Development Scott Rolen was officially inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday afternoon in Cooperstown, N.Y.
The Jasper, Ind. product is regarded as one of the greatest defensive third basemen of all-time.
Rolen played in the big leagues from 1996-2012 with stints in four organizations.
“At no point in my lifetime did it ever occurred to me that I’d be standing on this stage,” Rolen said in his speech on Sunday afternoon. “But I’m glad it occurred to you, because this is unbelievably special.”
Rolen won National League Rookie of the Year in 1997 and earned eight Gold Gloves and one Silver Slugger award across his illustrious career. His time in the big league featured 2,077 hits, 316 home runs, 1,287 RBIs and 1,211 runs scored.
One of the greatest prep stars from the state of Indiana, Rolen’s ties to his home state run deep. He continues to serve as IU’s Director of Player Development, helping current athletes with 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.
He also continues to work with the Indiana Bulls, one of the nation’s elite travel baseball programs.
Rolen was also a star basketball player at Jasper H.S. He was an Indiana All-Star in 1993, Mr. Basketball runner-up, and Rolen committed to play basketball at the University of Georgia. He was a teammate at Jasper of Michael Lewis, who went on to become IU’s all-time assist leader.
You can watch Rolen’s full induction speech below.
