After punching out 142 batters in 18 appearances for Maryland baseball, Sean Burke is opening the next chapter of his career.
The Chicago White Sox drafted Burke with the 23rd pick in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft Monday afternoon. Burke is the Terps’ highest draft pick since Brandon Lowe was drafted with the 87th overall pick in 2015. He also becomes the fifth player drafted under Rob Vaughn and the first since Hunter Parsons in 2019.
Burke finishes his three-year Maryland career with 97 IP, a 2.97 ERA, a win-loss record of 8-3 and 142 strikeouts to 53 walks. In his final appearance as a Terp pitcher, Burke shutout Norfolk State and punched out eight batters in Maryland’s opening game of the Greenville Regional in the NCAA Tournament.
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According to MLB.com, Burke’s potential to throw 100 mph-plus, his breaking ball and his 6-foot-6 230-pound frame, helped catapult him to his high draft status. The report cites that Burke may become a starter at the next level if he can improve command woes that haunted him in his collegiate career
While Burke didn’t claim any accolades for his penultimate season with the Terps, he was a 2020 Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American and earned a pair of 2021 Preseason honors including the Perfect Game Preseason Big Ten Pitcher of the Year.
