St. John's University Athletics
Burawa, Panik Set To Open Arizona Fall League Season
10/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Oct. 4, 2011
QUEENS, N.Y. - Former St. John's players and current minor leaguers Daniel Burawa and Joe Panik will open play today in the Arizona Fall League. Burawa is on the roster of the Phoenix Desert Dogs, while Panik will be playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions. The Arizona Fall League plays a 38-game regular season schedule that runs from Oct. 4 to Nov. 17.
A 12th round selection of the New York Yankees in the 2010 MLB Draft, Burawa was a combined 5-4 with a 3.64 ERA and five saves in 84.0 innings of work pitching for both the Class-A Charleston RiverDogs and the Class-A Advanced Tampa Yankees. The righty was 3-2 with a 3.63 ERA and three saves in 19 appearances for the RiverDogs. Burawa allowed just a .226 average and had 35 strikeouts in 44.2 innings before his promotion. The reliever went 2-2 with a 3.66 ERA and two saves in 20 appearances with Tampa, striking out 31 in 39.1 innings.
The first round selection (29th overall) of the San Francisco Giants in the 2011 MLB Draft, Panik earned Northwest League Most Valuable Player honors in his rookie season with the Class-A Short Season Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. Panik batted .341 in 69 games to win the league batting title and also ranked first in RBI (54), on-base percentage (.401) and total bases (126). The shortstop, who added 10 doubles, three triples and six home runs, also ranked tied for first in both runs scored (49) and total bases (126), and was fourth in slugging percentage (.467).
Burawa and Panik give St. John's representation in the Arizona Fall League for a fourth-consecutive season as they join Scott Barnes (Peoria Javelinas, 2010), Anthony Varvaro (Peoria Javelinas, 2009) and Rob Delaney (Phoenix Desert Dogs, 2008).
