Cooper Malamazian bet on himself, and it looks like he’s a winner.
Malamazian was picked in the 17th round of last year’s MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers as a senior at Nazareth.
Instead of signing a professional contract, the infielder chose the college route, going to Indiana.
Malamazian had no trouble making the transition, batting .320 with 40 RBIs, 39 runs and a team-best 17 doubles.
That earned him spots on Perfect Game’s Freshman All-American second team and the Big Ten All-Freshman team at shortstop.
Nazareth coach Lee Milano saw it coming.
“I’m so proud of Cooper,” Milano said. “A very tough decision he had (between college and the pros) — to go out there and produce like he did at Indiana, I’m really not surprised.
“I told Cooper’s father he was going to walk out of Nazareth as the best shortstop we ever had.”
Malamazian made 33 starts at shortstop and 13 at third base as the Hoosiers finished 32-24 overall and 16-14 in the Big Ten.
“His defense is off the charts, his arm is unbelievable,” Milano said.
● Easton Lotus was one of five Louisville softball players chosen to the 2025 College
Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team.
To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a
3.50 cumulative grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his/her current institution. It was Lotus’ second Academic All-District honor.
The Marist graduate led the Cardinals in hits (65) and runs (38) while tying for the team lead in triples (five), home runs (five) and stolen bases (18 in 20 attempts).
The redshirt junior hit .357 and drove in 26 runs.
● Collin Jennings was one of 14 Illinois baseball players who earned Spring Academic
All-Big Ten honors.
To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, students must be on a varsity team, have been enrolled full time at the institution for a minimum of 12 months and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
Jennings, an Orland Park resident who prepped at Marist, is majoring in civil engineering. The sophomore center fielder batted .286 and finished with an OPS of 1.078. He had 10 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs and 61 RBI to go along with 43 runs and 25 walks.
Jennings led the Illini in slugging, OPS, home runs and RBIs and tied for the team lead in triples.
Contributing: Mike Clark