TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Sophomore southpaw Sean Manaea has been named the top professional prospect among all players in the Prospect League, in a release compiled by Allan Simpson on Perfect Game. Manaea spent his summer on the mound for the Dubois County Bombers, one season after going 5-5 with a team-leading 82 strikeouts in 15 starts for the Sycamores.

Manaea tossed 53 innings over nine starts for the Bombers, finishing the season with a 2.89 ERA and team-leading 59 strikeouts. His 59 strikeouts were good for 10 th among all pitchers in the league.

A native of Wanatah, Ind., and Andrean High School, the 6-foot-5-inch left-hander will be ISU’s top returning pitcher from last season’s squad that came within one game of playing for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship. Manaea posted a career-high nine strikeouts on three separate occasions as a freshman, including in his seven innings of shutout baseball in ISU’s 6-0 victory at Wichita State on Saturday, May 14.

Junior third baseman Koby Kraemer also appeared on the top 35 list from Perfect Game, checking in at 29 th. Kraemer spent his summer playing for the Terre Haute Rex, where he led the team in numerous offensive categories, including: games played (55), at-bats (201), runs scored (44), hits (63), home runs (seven), RBIs (42), walks (25), sacrifice flies (four) and stolen bases (21). The Terre Haute South product played and started in all 57 games for ISU in 2011, hitting .318 with four home runs and 39 RBIs.

Manaea and Kraemer highlight a talented group of Sycamores returning for the 2012 season, a squad that features all position starters back for another season. ISU begins their spring season with a three-game series in Hammond, La., against Southeastern Louisiana on Feb. 17-19.