St. John's University Athletics
Leading by Example
3/18/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 18, 2005
Queens, NY - By Daniel F. Ford
Don't let their record fool you.
Despite a 6-7 start, the 2005 St. John's University baseball team still believes it will live up to all the preseason hype and be one of the teams to beat in the Big East.
Just ask starting catcher and senior co- captain Joe Burke. "We have a lot of guys who will be able to step up," said Burke. "Our pitchers know what it takes to win and our incoming freshman and junior transfers should give us a boost."
Burke, an All-BIG EAST Second Team selection last season and a preseason All-BIG EAST First Team selection in 2005, has given the Red Storm a boost of his own, carrying the offense for much of the early season. He is hitting .394, with 15 RBI, including five doubles and two stolen bases.
"I worked really hard in the off-season and put a lot of time in the batting cages," Burke said. "I've also been lucky to have a lot of chances to drive guys in."
The BIG EAST isn't the only baseball entity taking notice of Burke's hot start. He was one of 37 catchers named to the Johnny Bench Award Watch List, recognizing the top college catcher in the country.
"It's obviously a great honor and hopefully I can continue to play well and win the award," Burke said of the honor.
Burke, a Brooklyn native who transferred to St. John's last season after an All-American sophomore campaign at Nassau County Community College, has done all this while recovering from an off-season shoulder surgery that has limited his playing time.
"Last year, I hurt my foot in the fall and it wasn't that big a deal," said Burke. "This year, the shoulder injury has really affected my playing everyday at 100 percent."
Burke has been playing and competing day in and day out since his early Little League days, something he says wouldn't be possible without his father's inspiration. Ed Burke has worked two jobs all of Joe's life, for New York's Post Office and Sanitation Police.
"My father's work ethic is something that I've admired and tried to live up to all my life," Burke explained. "Both my parents have always given me their support and time throughout my career.
"You can't get to your Little League games without your parents, right?" he said with his trademark smile.
Burke spent the majority of his early playing days at shortstop and didn't catch a game until his junior year in at St. Edmund's Prep. He was also dividing his time with basketball, even starting for the varsity team his junior year.
"Despite all of that, all my coaches were convinced I would be a catcher in college," Burke said. "My senior year, I gave up basketball and starting putting more time into baseball because I knew I was going to play in college."
Burke was recruited by several New York schools, including St. Francis, Stony Brook, CW-Post, New York Tech, and Wagner. St. Francis even went as far as offering him a full scholarship.
"St. Francis gave me a great offer, but unfortunately I had to turn it down," said Burke. "It just wasn't what I was looking for and I needed to go in another direction."
Nassau County and Head Coach Larry Minor had exactly what he was looking for on the field.
"The school and the coaching staff has a great reputation and was a great fit for me," said Burke. "The coaches taught me how to lead by example and take control of a team."
Joe did just that in his second season with the Lions. He ended the year with a .462 batting average, five home runs, and only struck out once in 40 games. Those numbers were good enough to earn him a spot on the 2003 Third Team Junior College All-American Team and the chance to move up to a higher level of competition.
"It came down to transferring to St. John's or Lamar (in Texas)," said Burke. "I chose St. John's because of its strong baseball reputation and the fact that I'm a local guy."
Burke felt comfortable in his new surroundings right away and became a leader for the Red Storm on and off the field.
"As the starting catcher, I felt I had to be one of the more vocal leaders," Burke said. "I adapted to the team well because we had a lot of good guys I played with in the area."
Those players included senior Derek Sullivan, sophomore pitcher Anthony Varvaro, junior transfer P.J. Antoniato, and senior captain Mike Rozema, who was selected by the Atlanta Braves in last year's draft.
Burke made the transition to Division I baseball look easy, batting .340 and starting 52 out of the Red Storm's 60 games. He was the driving force behind St. John's run to the Big East Tournament and NCAA Regional.
"Physically, I had a strong off-season workout plan that really focused on strengthening my legs," Burke said. "It was just a high to go out and play everyday and try to win every game we could."
While Burke admits making the league's second team was an honor and one of his greatest accomplishments, it wasn't something he thought about everyday he took the field.
"It felt good knowing I could play and compete in Division I, but my main goal was to win," said Burke. "It was nice to get recognized for helping out my team."
This fall, Burke was selected as one of the senior co-captains, a responsibility he has not taken lightly.
"I feel like I should lead by example at all times," said Burke. "My position dictates that I take charge on the field and that's what I'm going to continue to do."
With Joe Burke's lofty batting average and winning attitude, the Red Storm should have no trouble righting their ship and sailing toward Omaha, Nebraska.
Dan Ford is a junior journalism major at St. John's. Ford, who carries a 3.93 grade-point average, is the head manager for the St. John's baseball team.
