UIndy outfielder and Columbus North graduate Austin Bode runs out for the starting lineup intro in a game this season.
Submitted photo
Austin Bode had his best collegiate season this year.
Bode, a redshirt junior from Columbus North, won numerous awards and led in many statisical categories for University of Indianapolis. He hopes to have better results heading into next year.
“I didn’t have a lot of expectations going into the year,” Bode said. “Really, my main goal was to play every day again and have fun and really just get the chance to be on the field and let the rest take care of itself. I was still a good ball player, and I wanted an opportunity to get on the field.”
UIndy outfielder and Columbus North graduate Austin Bode high-fives teammates after returning to the dugout in a game this season.
Submitted photo
Bode previously played catcher for Division I schools Louisville and Indiana University. With not being in the lineup and playing every day, Bode transferred to the Division II Greyhounds and became an outfielder.
“It was close to home,” he said. “I was kind of to the point where it was, either I go to a smaller Division I where winning isn’t as realistic as it is at UIndy or go to UIndy and play much more competitive baseball. They’ve been to the College World Series for the past two years, and we were right in the mix again this year. I wanted to play competitive baseball at a high level.”
UIndy outfielder and Columbus North graduate Austin Bode watches the action in a game this season.
Submitted photo
Bode found instant success. He had a .392 batting average, a .665 slugging percentage and a .484 on-base percentage. He led the Great Lakes Valley Conference with 83 hits and 24 doubles. He also blasted 10 home runs.
Bode helped UIndy to a 34-24 record and 20-11 in the conference. They eventually fell in the Super Regional to Northwood.
Following the season, Bode was selected All-American honorable mention by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America, 2025 ABCA/Rawlings First Team All-Region Midwest, D2CCA First Team All-Midwest Region and All-GLVC.
I always set the table pretty high on myself, and I had a lot of past experiences of success,” Bode said. “In Division I, I didn’t get the opportunity to play every day, and so that’s why I kind of switched over to UIndy. I just wanted to play every day and put my skill sets on the table every day, and I feel like I performed the way I expected to.”
UIndy outfielder and Columbus North graduate Austin Bode steps up to the plate in a game this season.
Submitted photo
Bode will have one more year of eligibility. He will graduate with a degree in sports management and a minor in communications.
Bode hopes the Greyhounds can continue their success with four straight Super Regional appearance and three College World Series appearances in the past four years.
“Ultimately, the end goal is to be in the College World Series and even win a national championship. We did come up a little short of that, so that keeps us hungry for next year,” Bode said. “We did put on a good showing with what we were dealt. We had a couple injuries. We had some obstacles thrown at us that we had to overcome. It showed the resiliency of our team. We except nothing less next year.”
