When Shane Burns announced he was committing to Murray State to play baseball, few heads turned. When he announced he was giving up football to focus on that commitment, many heads turned.
Burns helped lead Caldwell County to back-to-back Second Region baseball titles and a All-A Classic state runner-up finish last year. He was 8-1 with a miniscule 0.56 ERA in 62 innings pitched in 2017. He struck out 103 batters, while walking just 11.
After the season ended in the first round of the state tournament, Burns opted to focus on getting into baseball shape and giving up football where he threw for over 3,000 yards and 37 touchdowns as a junior. The result was Burns dropping 25 pounds, which caused improvement to both his pitching and hitting.
The Tigers are off to another strong start in 2018 with Burns leading the way on the mound. In 21-and-a-third innings, he has allowed just three hits and no earned runs while striking out 49.
At the plate, Burns is batting .333 with 13 runs knocked in.
WATCH: BURNS ON LEAVING FOOTBALL TO GET INTO BASEBALL SHAPE
WATCH: BURNS TALKS ABOUT THE TIGERS EMBRACING THE REGION FAVORITE ROLE
WATCH: WHETHER IT’S STRIKEOUTS OR GETTING HITS, BURNS IS GOOD WITH BOTH