Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Baseball's Buursma Selected as the Damon's Bison Athlete of the Week
5/19/2008 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 19, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell baseball senior Jason Buursma (Seattle, Wash./Lakeside School) was named the Damon's Bison Athlete of the Week on Monday after logging both wins on the mound for the Bison in the best-of-three Patriot League Championship series at Navy this past weekend, helping Bucknell upset the No.2-seeded Mids to capture its fourth Patriot League title and earn an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 2003.
Buursma, who was honored as the Patriot League Tournament MVP, accomplished the remarkable feat of recording all four of Bucknell's tournament wins en route to the championship. In the semifinals, he came out of the bullpen to post both victories as the No. 4-seeded Bison knocked off top-seeded Army, 2-1, in the three-game series. He followed up in the championship round by logging two more wins in relief outings, carrying Bucknell to a two-game sweep of Navy. Buursma finished the league tournament with a 0.00 ERA in 10.0 innings on the mound, allowed just three hits, struck out eight and walked none for an opponent's batting average of .091.
As if that weren't enough to garner MVP and all-tournament team status, Buursma, a two-way standout for the Orange and Blue, used his bat to help the squad overcome sizable deficits in both of its wins over Navy. In game one, the Bison entered the top of the seventh trailing the Mids, 6-1, and managed to even the score with five in the seventh before adding the go-ahead run in the ninth. Buursma reached with a single in the seventh and later crossed the plate for the tying run. Then in the top of the ninth, he singled again, was sacrificed over to second and scored what would be the winning run on a base knock by senior Shawn Hirsch (Morristown, N.J./Morristown).
Bucknell faced a strikingly similar situation in game two as the squad fell down 7-2 to Navy before plating six unanswered runs in the final four innings. With the Bison serving as the designated home team for game two, Buursma retired the side on the mound in the top of the ninth and led off the bottom of the frame with a single. Once again, he was sacrificed over to second and, following an intentional walk to Hirsch, senior Ed Rubbo (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) dropped a two-out single just inside the right field line to bring in Buursma for the deciding run.
Buursma's game two victory against the Midshipmen moved him to 9-3 on the season, giving him sole ownership of Bucknell's single season wins record. The 2008 Patriot League Player of the Year, Buursma broke the school record for career home runs earlier this spring and added another to his total this weekend as he now has 23 in his career and 12 on the year. His 12 home runs matches the second-highest total in both Bucknell and Patriot League history, while he is currently first in the PL record book for career ERA (2.19), as well.
Bucknell will learn its NCAA Tournament destination on Monday, May 26, when pairings are announced during the NCAA selection show at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN.
