Burrell to Enter Omaha College Baseball Hall of Fame
OMAHA, Neb. – Miami Hurricanes baseball legend Pat Burrell will be inducted into the Omaha College Baseball Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2017, the organization announced Thursday.
Burrell and Fred Lynn (Southern California) comprise the two-member class that will be honored in front of fans at the College Home Run Derby at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha on July 1 live on ESPN2 beginning at 9 p.m. ET.
Burrell becomes the second Hurricane to be inducted into the Omaha College Baseball Hall of Fame, after legendary head coach Ron Fraser was inducted last year as a member of the Class of 2016.
Burrell helped lead the University of Miami to the College World Series in all three of his seasons with the Hurricanes while setting numerous school records along the way. His .886 career slugging percentage ranks third all-time in NCAA history and his .442 career batting average is eighth all-time. In the Miami record books, Burrell ranks second in career home runs (61), second in total bases (465), tied for seventh in RBI (187) and sixth in walks (170). Burrell is the only player in Miami history to win the coveted Golden Spikes Award.
His 1996 freshman campaign was one of the greatest seasons in college baseball history when he became the first freshman in NCAA history to lead the nation in hitting. He batted .484, totaled 23 home runs and 64 RBI, and helped the Hurricanes advance to the Championship Game of the College World Series. At the CWS, he became only the third player ever to be named Most Outstanding Player when his team did not win the title.
The third baseman followed that season with 21 home runs, 76 RBI and a .409 average in 1997. In 1998, Burrell missed 38 games due to a back injury, but still compiled 17 homers with 47 RBI and a .432 average, leading the Canes to the CWS for the third straight year. Following his junior season, he became Miami’s first No. 1 overall pick when the Philadelphia Phillies selected him in the 1998 Major League Draft. Burrell joined the Phillies big league club in 2000, finishing fourth in Rookie of the Year balloting. In 2007, he joined Mike Schmidt and Bobby Abreu as the only Phillies players in history to hit 20 homers in seven consecutive seasons. Burrell won a World Series with Philadelphia in 2008 and San Francisco in 2010.
In 2008, Burrell was inducted into the University of Miami’s Sports Hall of Fame and his No. 11 jersey was retired. In 2010, he was named to the College World Series Legends team. The Omaha College Baseball Hall of Fame honors the game’s legends that have made their mark in Omaha. Inductees were selected because of their outstanding contributions to college baseball, specifically through extraordinary performances on the game’s grandest stage: in Omaha. Finalists and winners were selected by a committee comprised of Omaha College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees as well as members of the media.
Although still in its infancy, The Omaha College Baseball Hall of Fame already has a prestigious history of inductees. The inaugural class included Rod Dedeaux (USC coach), Augie Garrido (Texas coach), Bob Horner (Arizona State), Brooks Kieschnick (Texas), Robin Ventura (Oklahoma State) and Dave Winfield (Minnesota). The last three classes have included Ron Fraser (Miami coach), Cliff Gustafson (Texas coach), Dustin Ackley (North Carolina), Steve Arlin (Ohio State), Sal Bando (Arizona State), Barry Bonds (ASU), Will Clark (Mississippi State), Burt Hooton (Texas), Mark Kotsay (Cal State Fullerton), Keith Moreland (Texas) and Todd Walker (LSU).
