Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell's Buursma a double threat for Bison
5/7/2008 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 7, 2008
By Dennis Waszak Jr., Associated Press
Jason Buursma pitches, hits, plays all over the field and even runs the game music for Bucknell's baseball team. Name the task and he's handled it as the Bison's do-it-all star.
"I just like to play," the senior pitcher and outfielder said. "I like to be out there. Put me anyplace and I'm happy."
And it shows. Buursma is one of the country's top two-way players, serving as the Bison's ace pitcher and top hitter.
Entering this weekend's Patriot League tournament semifinal series against Army, the right-hander was 5-3 with a 3.16 ERA, 65 strikeouts, 10 walks and six complete games using an incredibly deceptive submarine-style delivery that induces lots of groundball outs. Buursma has been just as good at the plate, hitting .400 with 11 homers, 34 RBIs and 29 runs scored.
"We've had a couple of guys who have done both things, but maybe they were stronger in one area than another," coach Gene Depew said. "Jason is basically at the top in both sides of it. I've never had anyone quite at this level."
Buursma is all over the Bucknell record book, right there with Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson. A closer his first three seasons, he holds the school's career record with 15 saves and finished last year with a 1.65 ERA, the second-lowest in Patriot League history. Buursma also holds the school mark for career home runs with 22, and will likely finish in the top 10 for 15 career pitching and hitting categories.
"I'm lucky to be able to play both ways," he said. "To be out there all the time, you can't ask for anything better than that. You get to pitch and get to hit. That's every player's dream."
And, Buursma has certainly been a dream player for Depew. Buursma came to the school in Lewisburg, Pa., all the way from Seattle after a high school guidance counselor suggested Bucknell.
"A lot of kids from my school like to go out to the East Coast to go to smaller liberal arts schools that you don't really see as much on the West Coast," said Buursma, an economics major and philosophy minor. "It was the kind of school I was looking for: Division I and a good program."
It turned out Buursma was exactly the type of impact player Depew hoped for.
"We saw a little bit of tape on him as a hitter and could see the bat speed and all those things, so we encouraged him as somebody we thought would be able to contribute for us," Depew said.
And then, of course, there's that funky submarine delivery that can absolutely freeze hitters.
"It was like, 'Wow, can this guy throw strikes doing this?'" Depew said with a chuckle. "The guys work on their own before we formally start fall baseball and after the first day, my senior returning catcher came by the office and I asked if he saw anybody that looked good out there. He said, 'There's this kid out there throwing submarine and he's really good.'"
Buursma, who has played third base, first base, the outfield and been the designated hitter during his Bucknell career, developed his throwing style in high school. His pitching coach, Tyler Shepple, was a sidearmer at the University of Washington and played minor league ball.
"We got started on it, he showed me the ropes and it just kind of came naturally to me," said Buursma, whose fastball hits the mid-80s with lots of movement. "I kept doing it and it felt good."
And the results have been even better.
"It's very hard for hitters to adjust to the style he throws," said Depew, who moved Buursma to the rotation this season. "When he's not pitching, he's a versatile enough athlete where we're able to use him at so many different positions."
Buursma proved his knack for being able to adapt when he studied in England during the fall semester of his junior year. He went to a gym in the city of Bath and would keep his arm in shape by throwing a ball against a wall. Buursma also created a makeshift batting tee from some PVC pipe to practice his swing.
"That was a challenge because baseball is kind of foreign there," he said with a laugh. "People would kind of come up and watch and I would ask, 'Is there a problem?' and they would say, 'What are you doing? I don't know what this is.' I had to explain what it was, and that was kind of funny."
Buursma has also caught the attention of big league teams. He was drafted by the Mariners in the 43rd round last year, but opted to stay in school and complete his degree.
"When I was 6, you know how all the kids would say, 'I want to be a policeman or fireman?' I would say, 'I want to play for the Mariners,'" Buursma said. "It just made sense to finish school and get that out of the way, and this has definitely been the most fun season as of yet for me."
