Offseason training and a change in his swing mechanics led to a breakthrough at the plate for former Rochelle baseball standout Nate Burdin during his junior year at Rockford University.
Lessening his leg kick and adding 10 pounds of muscle, Burdin found more success on contact and flexed more power with his bat, posting career highs in batting average (.299) and slugging percentage (.385), an improvement of over .100 from last season. Burdin, who took on a bigger role offensively in his second year with the Rockford University program, notched a career high 23 RBIs and set career marks in at-bats (117), hits (35), and stolen bases (10) over 35 games.
“It was a really good season,” Burdin said. “I made a big adjustment in the offseason. I had a much higher leg kick last year and my timing was a little off, so I refined my swing to reduce the stride and I wanted the swing to be more bat-to-ball so I could catch more barrels. I minimized the movement in my swing so I could focus on seeing the pitch and getting the bat on it… I was on time more often and I put on muscle during my training in the winter, which translated to more strength and power. That was a big difference I saw, even from all of our fall scrimmages.”
Burdin crushed his first collegiate home run on April 15, when the former Hub launched a grand slam and recorded a season-best five RBIs to help lead Rockford over Concordia Chicago. A two-way player who pitched and played left field during his junior season, Burdin started 33 games for the Regents and guided the team to a 24-17 overall record.
Burdin, who compiled 11 multi-hit games and a trio of three-hit games in 2025, concluded his junior season with a 3-for-6 outing against Edgewood College on May 7. Defensively, Burdin totaled 37 putouts, five assists and registered just one error for a .977 fielding percentage.
“We had a really strong outfield this year,” said Burdin, whose pull-down velocity reached 90 MPH during his junior season. “I’m one of our cornerstone guys out there and I’m highly dependent on. Defensively, I’ve stuck to my craft and I’ve always tracked the ball really well… During the fall, I noticed that my arm strength from the outfield had gotten better, so using that and my ability to track the ball allowed me to make some key grabs during our games.”
Burdin, who made a diving catch in left center during Rockford’s season opener against Eureka College on Feb. 28, made six starts on the pitcher’s mound, striking out 16 batters over 20.2 innings of work. One of three RTHS graduates (Bradley Cooney and Reese Kirk) on Rockford’s 2025 roster, Burdin achieved CSC Academic All-District honors with a 4.0 GPA during his junior year with the Regents. A shift to center field could be in the works for Burdin, who said his goals for next season include adding more muscle and making continued improvements at the plate.
“We have five or six guys who’ve started since I got here and we’re going to be the top guys,” Burdin said. “We’re going to be depended on to help the younger guys and show them what college baseball is supposed to be like. Leading in the weight room and on the practice fields… I’ll be in more of a leadership role next year. This offseason and in the winter, I’d like to put on more weight since it relates to more power and strength… I’d like to be a little more consistent throughout the season so I can hit for a higher average. Whether it ends up being in center or on the corners, I want to continue being a cornerstone of the outfield and not let anything drop.”
Burdin will also look to re-emerge in a bigger role on the mound. As a sophomore, Burdin made nine appearances (eight starts) and fired one complete game, posting a 4-3 record with 28 strikeouts over 40 innings. A deep pitching staff led to fewer innings during his junior season, but with several top pitchers graduating from the program, Burdin has the experience to step up.
“I’ve talked to my coaches a lot and we had a deep pitching staff this year, but a lot of those guys were seniors and my class will be highly dependent on next year,” Burdin said. “They know I have it in me because I pitched well last year. I know I’ll have to go out and compete and be one of the guys we can depend on for a conference start each week. My goals are to get my ERA below what it was last year and be one of those four conference starters on the mound.”
Burdin, who’s currently studying accounting and intends to pursue a career as a CPA, is interning with Newkirk & Associates in Rochelle for the summer. The RTHS alum has been training at HitHub and working out at a home gym in his basement to stay in shape this summer.
