Bucknell University Athletics
Brannan, Buursma, Walter Selected to All-Patriot League Baseball Teams
5/11/2005 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 11, 2005
Patriot\ League\ Release
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bison baseball standouts Chris Brannan (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison) and Kyle Walter (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg) were both named to the All-Patriot League first team, announced by League offices on Wednesday. Freshman Jason Buursma (Seattle, Wash./Lakeside School) also received all-league recognition as Bucknell's lone representative on the all-league second team.
Brannan has had a solid year in his first season as a Bison. The sophomore boasts a .347 average, the third highest on the team, in 98 at bats. Brannan has played in 32 games, starting 28. He leads the team in doubles (10), and carries the second-best slugging percentage (.531). The third baseman has also knocked in 21 runs, and blasted two home runs on the season.
Walter receives his third career all-league nod, after making the first team in 2004 and the second team in 2003. The junior has been a constant in the Bison outfield, starting all 41 games. He is currently batting .325 overall, and .347 against Patriot League pitching. A Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in 2003, Walter leads the team in runs scored (36), total bases (81), and is tied for the team lead in home runs (5). He is ranked second for Bucknell in doubles (9), triples (3), runs batted in (26), and at bats (157).
Buursma has posted some outstanding numbers during his rookie campaign, including a .374 average, the best on the team. His .377 average against PL opponents is the second-highest on the Bison squad. The freshman also leads the team in slugging percentage (.616), runs batted in (30), and is tied for the team lead in home runs (5). Though he was named the second team as a designated hitter, the frosh has also spent time at third base and has been a key reliever on the mound for the orange and blue. Buursma carries a 3.60 ERA in 11 appearances and has held opponents to a .192 average. The freshman was also named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week on two occasions during the season.
The Bison (16-25, 10-10 PL) clinched a spot in this season's Patriot League Championship Tournament, set for this weekend in West Point, N.Y. Bucknell will take on second-seeded Lehigh on Saturday at 12 p.m., in the opening game of the tournament. The winner of the Bucknell/Lehigh game will then face top-seed Army in a best-of-three series, with the first game on Saturday and a doubleheader (if necessary) on Sunday.
