Baseball
Andy Burns - Baseball - University of Kentucky Athletics 8

AndyBurns

  • height 6-2
  • Weight 190
  • class Sophomore
  • 25th round draft pick in 2008 (Rockies)
  • Ninth-best prospect in the Northwoods League by Baseball America (2008)
  • SEC Academic Honor Roll (2009)
  • SEC Freshman of the Week (5/11/09)

Outlook
Dynamic infielder looks to solidify a starting job at third base after registering 45 starts as a true freshman … One of the top prospects in the nation and an Aflac All-American, Burns is considered one of the more talented position players UK has ever recruited … Part of UK’s banner 2009 freshman class that included five high school All-Americans, which ranked fourth-best in the NCAA … Will be counted on as a middle-of-the-order run producer … Will look to improve defense after first career action at the hot corner in 2009 … Has the ability to drive the ball from foul pole to foul pole … Moved with great success to the No. 2 spot in the order halfway through the 2009 season … Was rated as the 10th-best freshman in the SEC and the 29th-best freshman in the NCAA entering the 2009 season by Baseball America.

Summer
For the second straight summer, played for the Duluth Huskies in the Northwoods League … As a 17-year old last year, was named the ninth-best prospect in the Northwoods League by Baseball America … Hit .245 (53-for-216) in 60 games this summer, totaling 11 doubles, one triple, three homers and 25 RBI … Drew 25 walks … Also pitched for the first time since prep career, hurling one inning with three hits allowed … Stole 10-of-15 bases during the summer.

2009
Had an excellent freshman season, finishing strong during UK’s push for the postseason after getting off to a slow start … Played in 50 games with 45 starts, batting .287 (51-for-178) with nine doubles, one triple, seven homers and 33 RBI … After injuries struck senior third sacker Chris McClendon during the first weekend of the year, Burns was pressed into service, primarily manning third base for the remainder of the year … Hit better in SEC play then in non-conference action, batting .304 (31-for-102) with five doubles, five homers and 17 RBI … Hit .263 (20-for-76) in non-league games, charting four doubles, one triple and two homers … Hit .290 (29-for-100), with five homers and 22 RBI in games played at Cliff Hagan Stadium … Hit .282 (20-for-71) on the road, with two homers and 10 RBI … Led the team with 13 errors, while playing third base every day for the first time in his career … Turned nine double plays, totaling 26 putouts and 55 assists … Better in day games, batting .326 (31-for-95) in 29 day contests with six homers, compared to a .241 (20-for-83) average in night games … Got off to a slow start, hitting .262 (16-for-61) with two homers in the first 20 games of the year, before rebounding to bat .321 (26-for-81) with five doubles and three homers in the final 20 games of the year … Batted .305 (29-for-95) with runners on base and reached base safely in 17-of-36 chances as the leadoff hitter … Had 11 two-out RBI … In 23 games as the No. 2 hitter, batted .309 (29-for-94) with six doubles, four homers and 15 RBI … Had 13 multi-hit games and eight multi-RBI games, running up a nine game hitting streak during the year, finishing 2009 riding a three-game streak … Had four three-hit games, including a 3-for-4, six runs scored game at Mississippi State, the most runs scored by a player in the SEC in 2009 … Had a 2-for-5, four RBI game in the home opener against Western Michigan, belting his first career homer … Went 3-for-3 against Indiana State with a triple and three RBI … Batted 3-for-4 with three runs scored, three RBI and a homer against Georgetown College … In the final game of the year, with UK needing to win to make the post-season at Florida, Burns responded with four RBI and two hits, doubling and hitting a homer … Biggest moment of the season came as a pinch hitter in the second game of the series against South Carolina, after UK lost the first game 20-19, came off the bench for his first at bat of the series and ripped the first pitch from SC closer Alex Farotto over the right-field fence, just sneaking over the wall for a walk-off homer over the glove of Gamecocks athletic right-fielder Jackie Bradley, Jr., who just missed robbing the ball … During the 2008 summer, as one of the few 17-year old high school seniors playing in a collegiate summer league, Burns held his own, earning the Baseball America distinction as the ninth-best prospect in the highly competitive Northwoods League … Batted .225 (46-for-204) with six doubles, two homers, 19 RBI and 13-for-19 stolen bases.

High School
Aflac All-American, two-time Colorado Player of the Year, Louisville-Slugger All-American and Gatorade Colorado Player of the Year … Rated as the No. 38 prospect in high school by Baseball America as a senior … First-team All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association … Named the Colorado State Tournament MVP in both his junior and senior seasons, while leading team to the state championships … Participated in the Perfect Game National Showcase, as well as the 2007 Area Code Games, as a member of the Cincinnati Reds team … As a senior, hit .488 with 39 hits, 45 runs, eight doubles, 10 homers and 34 RBI …Three-year letterwinner for coach Scott Bullock at Rocky Mountain High School … In 2007, Burns was named MVP of the Colorado 5A tournament after leading Scott Bullock’s Rocky Mountain High School team to the State Championship … Burns batted .546 as a junior, setting school records for runs (45), hits
(39), RBI (43), walks (34) and home runs (13) … Burns finished his junior year with a staggering 1.181 slugging percentage and an equally impressive .649 on-base percentage … During sophomore season, batted .500 with 30 runs scored, seven doubles, eight homers and 27 RBI … Played football for three seasons and as a sophomore in 2006 he was named first team All-State and the team MVP … Named Rocky Mountain High School Senior of the Year in 2008 … A three-year Honor Roll Student and two-year academic all-state, Burns finished with a 3.92 GPA.

Personal
Full name is Andrew David Burns … Son of Pat and Kim Burns … Has one sister, Emily (14) … Born in Clemson, S.C., Burns lived in Lexington, Ky., for four years before moving to Fort Collins when he was eight … Father got his post-graduate degree at Kentucky … At the age of eight, Burns went to the MLB All-Star Game in Boston and competed in the MLB diamond skills championship and won the 7-8 year old level in 1999.

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