Kyle Schwarber To Be Guest-Picker On ESPN College GameDay Show

Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter and Indiana alum will join ESPN College GameDay on Saturday morning.

Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) gestures to the dugout after hitting a double during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – One of the trademarks of ESPN’s College GameDay Show is its picks segment where the panel picks the chosen games of that week. One of the trademarks of that segment is the guest picker.

ESPN will often pull out the stops to get a guest picker that is famous, associated with the location they’re at and often both.

With College GameDay in Bloomington on Saturday, ESPN has revealed its choice – Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter and Indiana baseball alum Kyle Schwarber.

“I can’t wait to all you guys there on Saturday to cheer on the Hoosiers. And also can’t wait to be the celebrity guest picker for College GameDay. It’s going to be exciting. It’s going to be fun. I can’t wait to see all of you guys there and go Hoosiers!” Schwarber said via an ESPN X post.

2x MLB ALL-STAR AND FORMER INDIANA HOOSIER KYLE SCHWARBER WILL BE OUR GUEST PICKER IN BLOOMINGTON 🙌@kschwarb12 pic.twitter.com/yYK9k2mAtI

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 24, 2024

College GameDay airs at 9 p.m., but the picks segment is typically in the final hour of the show which goes to noon.

There was much speculation on who the guest picker might be. Guesses ranged from Indiana greats like Isiah Thomas or Victor Oladipo, to Indianapolis-based stars like Catilin Clark or local legends like John Mellencamp.

Guest pickers at other locations this season have included Sheamus, Johnny Manziel, Michael Phelps, Dawn Staley, Blake Shelton, Marshawn Lynch, Kaitlin Olson and Scottie Scheffler. Schwarber is the first baseball personality to appear since Alex Rodriguez did so at Clemson in 2020.

Schwarber, who played catcher at Indiana from 2012-14, is one of the most decorated Hoosier baseball alums. Schwarber batted .342 in his three seasons in Bloomington as he hit 40 home run and had 129 RBI as a Hoosier.

After helping Indiana reach the College World Series in 2013, Schwarber was drafted fourth overall in the 2014 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs. Schwarber helped the Cubs win the World Series in 2016.

Indiana Hoosiers catcher Kyle Schwarber (10) looks to throw a runner out on second during the game against the Florida State Seminoles during the Tallahassee super regional of the 2013 NCAA baseball tournament at Dick Howser Stadium. / Melina Vastola-Imagn Images

Schwarber played for the Cubs from 2015-20 and then the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox in 2021 before he revived his career when he signed with the Phillies as a free agent in 2022.

With Philadelphia, Schwarber has hit 131 home run and had 302 RBI.

In the recently completed season, Schwarber hit 38 home run and had 104 RBI. He’s hit 131 home runs in the last three seasons, the highest output of his career. The Phillies won the National League East Division, but lost to the New York Mets in the NLDS.

During the season, Schwarber passed Ted Kluszewski to become Indiana’s all-time home run king in Major League Baseball. Schwarber now has 284 career home runs.

He also set a Major League record with 14 home runs to leadoff a game.

Related stories on Indiana football

• GAMEDAY IS COMING TO BLOOMINGTON: ESPN announced on Sunday morning that its College GameDay program will be at Indiana next Saturday. CLICK HERE.

• PREDICTION, 3 KEYS FOR WASHINGTON: Hoosiers On SI takes a look into the crystal ball for the Washington game on Saturday. CLICK HERE.

• SCHWARBER IS INDIANA'S ALL-TIME HOME RUN KING: Kyle Schwarber hit his 280th career home run, setting the all-time mark for a former Indiana player. CLICK HERE.

• SCHWARBER HAS SECOND THREE-HOME RUN GAME IN A MONTH: Kyle Schwarber has another three-home run game against Toronto. CLICK HERE.