On a team stocked with Division I prospects such as Ryan Flaherty and Mike Giobbi, Chris Burleson would have to do something pretty special to stand out in 2005.
Well, he did.
The Deering High School senior outfielder/pitcher produced eye-popping numbers that surpassed even his Vanderbilt-bound teammates. He led the hitting-rich SMAA with a gaudy .525 batting average, while also setting the league pace in runs scored (28) and on-base percentage (.672).
He also finished among the league leaders in hits (21), stolen bases (9), total bases (31), walks (17) and slugging percentage (.775), and drove in 14 runs, even though his chief occupation was setting the table for Deering’s all-state sluggers, Flaherty and Giobbi. SMAA coaches were sufficiently impressed to name him the conference’s MVP.
Burleson’s most important role for the Rams may have been helping to fill the void on their pitching staff once ace Mike Powers went down in May with an injury. He posted a 5-1 record with a 1.72 ERA and finished second in the SMAA with 53 strikeouts, including a season-high 19-K performance against eventual Western A champion Westbrook.
Opponents batted just .195 against him during the regualr season.
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