Burciaga swinging strong at Kankakee Community College

Former Hub slugger batting nearly .400 with Cavaliers

Russell Hodges
Posted 3/29/18

Cristian Burciaga’s main goal after graduating Rochelle Township High School in 2017 was to continue his baseball career at the college level, and the former Hub slugger achieved his goal when he signed to play baseball at Kankakee Community College.

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Burciaga swinging strong at Kankakee Community College

Former Hub slugger batting nearly .400 with Cavaliers

Posted

ROCHELLE — Cristian Burciaga’s main goal after graduating Rochelle Township High School in 2017 was to continue his baseball career at the college level, and the former Hub slugger achieved his goal when he signed to play baseball at Kankakee Community College.

Roughly one year later, Burciaga has quickly established himself as one of Kankakee’s top hitters. The first baseman and designated hitter has appeared in 21 games for the Cavaliers during his freshman season, and he’s recorded a .382 batting average and .506 on-base percentage while totaling 26 hits and 23 RBIs. Kankakee is 17-5 this season and 10-2 at home.

“My first year of college has been amazing,” Burciaga said. “The experience of playing college baseball has always been my goal and I’m loving it… My favorite experience being on the Kankakee team is just being part of a family. We’re all from different places and we’re living by ourselves so we get along really well and we are all brothers.”

The Cavaliers entered the 2018 season as the NJCAA Division II’s No. 1 ranked baseball team after Kankakee went 54-11-1 and won both the Region IV and the NJCAA Division II titles in 2017. While around 10 players returned from last year’s squad, the Cavaliers are rich with newcomers including Burciaga, who ranks fourth on the team with 68 at-bats and second in hits. Burciaga’s seven doubles are a team-high, and the former Rochelle standout is tied for second in RBIs and fifth in slugging percentage (.485).

“College baseball games are more fast-paced,” Burciaga said. “College and high school games are different because in college we play nine innings and the pitching is much faster. Pitchers also have better off-speed pitches in college than high school.”

Burciaga’s top efforts this season include going 6-for-10 with two doubles and four RBIs over two victories against Mercyhurst North East on March 6 and 7. Burciaga has recorded seven multi-hit games for the Cavaliers, and his offensive firepower has helped Kankakee average 8.05 runs per game in 2018. Kankakee currently ranks No. 6 on the NJCAA Division II baseball poll and the Cavaliers are the highest-ranked team in Illinois.

“I’ve been doing well offensively by doing the little things that help us win ball games,” Burciaga said. “Sacrificing your at-bats and getting on base so my other teammates can bring me in. I would like to continue improving on defense… There’s a whole new level of the mental game involved with baseball.”

Burciaga has totaled three RBIs in a game four times this year, and all four occasions have resulted in Kankakee wins. Prior to his freshman season at Kankakee, Burciaga was a mainstay in the middle of the Rochelle varsity lineup. The former Northern Illinois Big 12 All-Conference infielder said that his time with the Hubs has helped him understand baseball beyond just the basics.

“There’s so much more than fielding, throwing and hitting,” Burciaga said. “I have to think about what pitchers are thinking and how it can benefit the hitter and playing at Rochelle helped me do that.”