Burdick Earns Honors with Hard Play

by Alan Hieber

Wright State baseball has had a wealth of talented hitters over the years that eventually were selected in the MLB draft. Outfielder Peyton Burdick has been no exception.

"I mean that's everybody's goal when they come here," Burdick said. "They want to get better and win as many championships as they can while they're here. The ultimate goal is to have a future after college and the chance to play professional baseball."

On Tuesday, Burdick was named the Horizon League Player of the Year. He torched the league box scores by leading the HL in batting average, hits, doubles, on-base percentage and walks. On the year, he's hit .395 and 14 home runs - while recording 66 RBI.

"To me, he (Burdick) has been our most consistent player all year long, and he is still growing as a player," WSU head baseball coach Alex Sogard said of the honor.

The Raiders have been like the Golden State Warriors equivalent in Horizon League baseball - taking home three of the last four conference tournament titles. It's something that doesn't get old, according to Burdick.

"As a team, we try to show up everyday, put in our work and just be consistent on a day-to-day basis," he said. "Going into the tournament, we're not looking to change anything."

In last season's league tournament, WSU trailed UIC 9-8 in the bottom of the seventh during the first of two possible championship clinching games. It was Burdick with a man on who came through in the clutch when he launched a ball off his bat that seemed destined for I-675 just outside the stadium - giving the Raiders a 10-9 lead they wouldn't relinquish.

After the home run Burdick flipped his bat in jubilation.

"It's like your emotions take over your body," he said.

"He's had a number of great moments on the field, but my favorite thing is just going to work everyday with a guy like Peyton," Sogard said. "His energy is contagious, and he's always in a good mood and willing to do anything for the team. He's the type of guy you'd want to go to war with."

Last season Burdick sported 40 as his jersey number, but he has since switched it to 88, which seems more suited for the football field. His reasoning does have something to do with the gridiron though.
"When I was little I played baseball with my older brother, who took my dad's baseball number eight, and I took my dad's football number 88. My dad played a year for the Seahawks, and he got that number from his dad - so it's been in our family for a while."

The road to success has been a winding one for Burdick, who was redshirted during his sophomore year after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

"I really invested in myself, trusted the process and grinded everyday," Burdick said. "It's just been real rewarding to see everything pay off and all the people that have helped me along the way."

"The biggest difference I have seen is in his (Burdick) patience, and maturity at the plate," Sogard said. "I think he has a chance to play this game for a long time because he is willing to put in the work that it takes to be successful, and he's been gifted with the talent to do so."

In the first game of their NCAA Regional game hosted by Stanford last season WSU lost a heartbreaker to the Cardinal - ranked #2 in the nation at the time- in 13 innings. They followed that with a 11-5 loss in an elimination matchup with Baylor.

"It leaves a sour taste in your mouth to lose in the first game of the regional to one of the best teams and drop it in extra innings by one run," Burdick said. "It keeps you hungry every day you go to the field."

"Our offense has been pretty strong this year, and our pitching has been doing well late. It's a good sign to see when your team is getting hot this late in the season. We're going to show everybody what we can do - one game at a time and one pitch at a time."

The Raiders will be trying to achieve a defense of their conference crown as they host the league tournament at Nischwitz Stadium this weekend.

"Being able to win my third conference tournament would be crazy," Burdick said.

Players Mentioned

Peyton Burdick

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