Baseball

DevinBurkes

  • position C
  • height 6-3
  • Weight 215
  • class Redshirt Junior
  • Hometown Bradenton, Fla.
    • Mr. Wildcat (2024)
    • All-Regional Team, Lexington Regional (2024)
    • Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Watch List (2024)
    • Preseason All-SEC, Second-Team (Coaches)
    • Most Outstanding Player, Lexington Regional (2023)
    • All-Regional Team, Lexington Regional (2023)
    • Co-National Player of the Week, 2/27/23 (Collegiate Baseball)
    • Academic All-District (College Sports Communicators, 2024 and 2023)
    • Buster Posey Collegiate Catcher of the Year Watch List (2024, 2023)
    • SEC All-Tournament Team (2022) 
    • Dean’s List (Spring 2022)
    •  SEC Academic Honor Roll (2022)
    •  SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll (2021)

2024

Appeared in 60 games with 59 starts…Batted .239 in 205 AB with 49 runs and 35 RBI…hit 14 doubles, one triple and three HR…Led the nation in steals by a catcher with 19 (19-22)…Led the team with 17 HBP and added 30 walks…Had seven sacrifices and six SAC flies…Batted .255 in SEC play with 11 doubles…Had 12 multi-hit and eight multi-RBI games…Had a 15-game reached safely streak…Posted a .733 OPS…Had a bases loaded double off the wall to power a win at Auburn…Scored four runs and reached four times in a win at the Round Rock Classic…Stole multiple bases in a game four times.

2023

Batted .291 with a .925 OPS in starting all 61 games…Scored 55 runs, had 65 hits and drove in 53…Led the team with 18 doubles and was second with nine home runs…Was hit by 15 pitches, walked 38 times and stole nine bases in 12 attempts…Had 19 multi-hit and 12 multi-RBI games…Finished the season reaching safely in final 15 games…Also had a 11-game hit streak where he had multiple hits seven times…Drove in career-best seven runs on Feb. 26 vs. Wright State, the most by a UK player since 2017……Smoked what proved to be the game-winning home run in NCAA opener vs. Ball State…Also had game-winning home run vs. Eastern Kentucky…Named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Lexington Regional…Co-National Player of the week on Feb. 27 after hitting seven doubles in one weekend…Caught nine runners attempting to steal.

2022 SUMMER

Played for the Wareham Gatemen of the Caped Cod League…Vatted .258 across 31 at bats with two runs and three RBI…Walked six times…Was settling in and heating up when the summer ended, finishing with a four-game hitting streak…Earned high praise for his patient approach at the plate.

2022

Batted .378 in 37 AB with four doubles, three homers, 10 RBI and 13 runs…Started 12 games and appeared in 20….Became UK’s starting catcher by the end of the season…Was names SEC All-Tournament after batting a team-best .429 with a two-homer game vs. LSU and team-high six RBI…Mashed his first career home run at Florida, just an hour from his hometown…Had a hit in 8 of his last 10 games and reached base safely in each of his final 14…First career hit came on 2/26/22 vs. Western Michigan…Had a 1.270 OPS and 16.85 runs created per nine innings.

2021 SUMMER
Played for the Kalamazoo Growlers of the Northwoods League along with fellow Wildcats Nolan McCarthy and Austin Strickland…Appeared in 38 games with 128 at-bats…Played multiple positions, primarily catcher…Had 29 hits, scored 19 runs and drove in 17…Smacked eight doubles, a triple and three home runs…Stole three bases and walked 22 times…Logged seven multi-hit games.

2021
Redshirted.

HIGH SCHOOL
Ranked by Perfect Game as the No. 269 player overall and No. 23 catcher in the country…In talent rich Florida was the No. 54 player overall and No. 6 catcher…Played catcher, third base, first base and outfield for coach Brady Bogart at Villages Charter…Named all-state in 2018…Team was back-to-back district champions in 2017 and 2018 and regional runner-up in 2018…Future Stars Series 2019 Program 15 2020 Grad Class All-Tournament Team…2019 Perfect Game WWBA 2020 Grads/17U National Championship All-Tournament Team…Also played basketball.

PERSONAL
Full name is Devin Tyce Burkes…Born in Sarasota, Fla. …Son of Traci Burkes and Denise Woodall…Has an older brother, Trayon…Favorite MLB team is the New York Yankees and favorite player is Chicago Cubs star Javy Baez…Picked UK because he “fell in love with everything about the school”.

Read more