CONTRIBUTED BY
AUBURN UNIVERSITY
AUBURN —
Junior right-handed pitcher Blake Burkhalter was selected by the Atlanta Braves with the 76th overall pick in the second round of the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft Sunday night.
Burkhalter becomes Auburn’s highest drafted relief pitcher since Scott Sullivan was selected with the 62nd overall pick in the 1993 MLB Draft and the third-highest-drafted relief pitcher in program history behind Sullivan and Gregg Olson, who was selected fourth overall in 1988.
His selection marks the 48th consecutive season dating back to 1975 where Auburn has had at least one player selected in the MLB Draft – tied for the longest streak in the Southeastern Conference. It also marks the seventh straight season Auburn has had a top-five-round pick, which is two years longer than the previous record of five straight top-five-round picks from 1997-2001.
Burkhalter ranked second in the country with 16 saves this year, tied for the second most in program history, and went on to be named Second Team All-America by the American Baseball Coaches Association, College Baseball Foundation and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, Second Team All-SEC and a finalist for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award.
The junior righty recorded the final six outs of Auburn’s regional championship against UCLA and notched a pair of saves in the Corvallis Super Regional against Oregon State, retiring all eight batters he faced in the decisive game three against the Beavers. Burkhalter then recorded the last seven out of Auburn’s College World Series win against Samford to record his 16th save.
Burkhalter posted a 4-2 record with a 3.89 ERA and struck out 71 batters to go along with issuing only seven walks in 46.1 innings. Had he logged enough innings to quality, Burkhalter would’ve led the SEC in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (13.8), walks per 9.0 innings (1.36) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (10.14).
A native of Dothan, Alabama, Burkhalter earned three saves in as many appearances during the team’s sweep of South Carolina in April, becoming the first player in program history and the first in the league since 2017 to accomplish the feat.
In 51 career relief appearances, Burkhalter turned in a 3.01 ERA and struck out 104 batters in 71.2 innings.