COURTESY PHOTO
BY JOSHUA KUMMINS
The North Shore Navigators would not be right in the thick of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League playoff race if it weren’t for their pitching staff.
Swampscott’s Brian Burke has provided true relief as a key member of the Navs bullpen, leading the team ― which now owns the top earned run average in the league ― with three wins.
The Curry College rising senior and captain-elect is using this summer more to recover from dislocating his kneecap at the beginning of the spring season than anything else.
“The biggest thing coming into the summer was to get healthy again,” Burke said. “I wasn’t really focused on stats or anything like that, but I just wanted to come in here and help the team win. For me, other than that, it was just to get comfortable again.”
Burke has allowed just five earned runs over 24.2 innings of work this summer. He has pitched scoreless ball of his five of his 11 appearances, while five have have been at least three innings in length.
Although the Bishop Fenwick product may not be focused on statistics, he has seen great success and was one of six Navs selected to play in last night’s FCBL All-Star Game at Hanover Insurance Park in Worcester.
Burke, Jake Dexter (Southern Maine) and Quinn DiPasquale (Stevens Institute of Technology) represented the Navs on the East Division pitching staff, while infielder Joey Pena (St. Thomas Aquinas) and outfielder MacDaniel Singleton (Salem State)
“It’s awesome to come in and meet a bunch of the new guys, but you’re comfortable right away with six guys here,” Burke said. “It’s fun to experience this with them. We’ve always known we were a talented team. This proves that we are a talented team and how close we are.”
Through his success, Burke has noticed definite progress in his return to full health.
He suffered the injury while batting during Curry’s season opener this February at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta. After being hit in the back by a pitch, his left cleat buckled in the dirt and his kneecap popped out of place.
Burke rushed back to the field in a month and a half and played the remainder of the season wearing a knee brace. He struggled mightily for the Colonels, going 0-6 with an earned run average over 8.00.
Now, things are clicking.
“I don’t think I’m fully there yet, but I’m definitely starting to get there,” Burke said. “It’s a long recovery from a dislocated kneecap. I’m more confident now and it feels good.”
Burke spent a brief time with the FCBL’s Nashua Silver Knights at the end of last summer, but was excited to get the call to return home and become a Navigator.
His experience at Fraser Field, following in the footsteps of good friends Brandon Bingel and Trevor Massey, has been even more than he could have asked for.
“It’s been awesome, really surreal playing for this organization after coming to the games here,” Burke said. “Living at home is huge and it’s a great group of guys. Everything I expected, and even more.”
Burke is feeling good, and performing. If that’s the case, there’s only one thing Navs manager John Zizzo can do.
“He’s just doing great,” Zizzo said. “As long as he’s doing it, we’ll keep going to him.”
The FCBL All-Star rosters included eight players from Division 3 schools in New England, three of whom were Navigators.
Burke, Dexter and Singleton were excited to represent the Navs and the D3 ranks in the All-Star festivities.
“Being a D3 guy, and I’ve talked to Dex about it, we’re facing guys from Kentucky and Notre Dame, schools like that,” Burke said. “They’re just a bigger name school, but they’re still 18-21 years old. It definitely shows we can compete.”
Joshua Kummins can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKummins.