May 5, 2008

LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell baseball senior co-captain Jason Buursma (Seattle, Wash./Lakeside School) was named to the revised 2008 Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Award Watch List, the College Baseball Foundation announced on Sunday evening. Buursma was one of several additions to the list, which has now been narrowed to 100 players, and is the lone representative from the Patriot League.

The honor is the latest of several the two-way player has added to his resume within the past few weeks as he recently won the Christy Mathewson Award at Bucknell's annual Senior Athletic Awards Banquet, presented to the most outstanding athletes in the senior class. He was also selected as one of 10 national finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award and was named to the Dick Howser Trophy Watch List, which is regarded by many as college baseball's most prestigious award.

Through three-plus seasons with the Orange and Blue, Buursma has become one of the most decorated players in program history, earning four All-Patriot League selections and a spot on the ABCA All-East Region First Team as a relief pitcher in 2006. A two-time member of the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award Watch List, Buursma holds the school's career saves record with 15 and finished 2007 with the second lowest ERA in Patriot League history, 1.65. Buursma broke the school record for home runs on against Lehigh on Apr. 27 when he hit his 22nd of his career and will likely finish his time with the Bison ranking in the top-10 in program history for 15 career pitching and hitting categories, with his name appearing at least 12 times on the single season lists.

As a senior, Buursma is enjoying his most successful campaign yet. Through 32 games in the field, he boasts a Patriot League-best .400 batting average, 11 home runs and a .725 slugging percentage and has also contributed 29 runs scored and 34 RBI. On the mound as the ace of Bucknell's staff, he is among the league leaders with a 5-3 record along with 65 strikeouts in 68.1innings of work, averaging 8.56 per nine innings. Buursma boasts a 3.38 ERA and has walked just 10 batters, holding opponents to a .253 average. Back on Mar. 17, he was named the Patriot League's Pitcher of the Week marking the fifth overall weekly accolade of his career.

Buursma was taken in 43rd Round of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft by the Seattle Mariners, but chose to return to Bucknell and complete his college career. The 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II First Team honoree carries a 3.64 grade-point average as an economics major with a philosophy minor and has been named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll twice and to the Dean's List in six of seven semesters. During the fall of his junior year, Buursma spent the semester studying abroad at Oxford.

The Wallace Award is presented to the nation's top collegiate baseball player in conjunction with the College Baseball Hall of Fame's annual induction festivities. The 2008 award banquet will be held Wednesday, July 2, in the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center in Lubbock, Texas.