Closing Time: Auburn's Blake Burkhalter awaits MLB Draft

Closing Time: Auburn's Blake Burkhalter awaits MLB DraftClosing Time: Auburn's Blake Burkhalter awaits MLB Draft
Grayson Belanger/AU Athletics

Blake Burkhalter

AUBURN, Ala. – With Auburn clinging to a late-inning lead, Blake Burkhalter gets the call to start warming up in the bullpen.

"You get to that point where you're looking forward to that adrenaline rush when you're jogging in," he said.

It's closing time.

"You've got to learn to love it," said Burkhalter, whose 16 saves led the SEC in 2022. "That's the role they're putting you in and they expecting you to do well in that role."

Success in closing games requires physical and mental attributes.  

"It's really just a mindset," Burkhalter said. "You've got to have confidence in at least two pitches when you're going out there.

"Confidence when you're coming out of the pen. That mindset of, 'I'm going to strike this guy out,' or 'I'm going to get this first guy out,' then that confidence throughout the inning and the rest of the game: 'None of these guys are better than me.' You have to know that in your head."

Throwing hard helps, obviously, but it's not enough.

"You can't just sit on a fastball because you'll get torched," said Burkhalter, whose arsenal includes a cut fastball, or cutter, that consistently confounded hitters this season.

"You've got to pitch to them and attack them. It's all about attacking right there at the end of the game."

Ten of Burkhalter's 16 saves came in the crucible of Southeastern Conference play. In 46.1 innings, he struck out 71 and walked only 7, a stunning 10.14-1 ratio.
 Blake Burkhalter retired all eight batters he faced in the deciding game of the Corvallis Super Regional 
Saving his best for last, Burkhalter recorded the last eight outs of Auburn's 4-3 victory vs. Oregon State in the deciding game of the Corvallis Super Regional.
 

"Getting that win and the dogpile on that field was so exciting," he said.
 On to Omaha: Auburn celebrates after winning the Corvallis Super Regional 
Burkhalter then pitched 2.1 scoreless innings to earn the save in the Tigers' 6-2 win over Stanford in the College World Series, Auburn's first win in Omaha in 25 years.

"Being in that baseball town with all of those great teams, it was a memory I'll never forget," said Burkhalter, who struck out 10 in his final two outings. "I can't say enough for my teammates. They put me in that spot. As a closer, you've got to give me a chance right there at the end of the game. They put me in the best spot a ton of games."

Burkhalter's Omaha exploits earned national attention. D1 Baseball's David Seifert wrote of Blake, "(The cutter) was the most dominant pitch seen from any arm in Omaha this year."
 



Pitching analyst Rob Friedman tweeted an umpire camera view video of three Burkhalter pitches to his 394,000 followers, netting 3.8 million views.
 



While appreciating the praise, Burkhalter is quick to credit Auburn pitching coach Tim Hudson for helping him refine his cutter.

"I've worked hard for a long time to try to get in this position," he said. "Huddy helped me with that cutter. To get some recognition like that was pretty awesome, but it's just another day. You can't let it go to your head."

The next step in Burkhalter's baseball journey takes place Sunday through Tuesday with the 2022 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, lasting 20 rounds.

"The experience of a lifetime," said Burkhalter, who plans to gather with friends and family at his home in Dothan, Alabama. "It's going to be a weight lifted off my shoulders. This is the goal I've set since I could even think about baseball – playing in the major leagues, getting a chance to do that one day and get drafted."

Burkhalter's senior season at Northview High School coincided with Auburn's 2019 run to the College World Series. Even though he grew up pulling for Auburn's in-state rival, the decision to play for Butch Thompson and the Tigers came easily.

"I really loved the coaches. This is the best coaching staff in the country, hands down," Burkhalter said. "Everybody will agree with me once you meet these guys and know what they stand for.

"The atmosphere around Auburn, the culture the university brings to this city of Auburn, it's exciting. This is the team you want to play for."
 Victory lap: Blake Burkhalter leads teammates around Plainsman Park to thank fans after Auburn's first home regional championship since 1999
A starting pitcher in high school, Burkhalter embraced the opportunity to become a reliever in college, assuming the closer role this season after further developing his pitching repertoire playing in Virginia last summer.

"I saw what Cody Greenhill was doing. I said, 'Man, that looks exciting,'" Burkhalter said. "He told me a lot about it. That's something I really wanted to do, so I pursued that aspect. Getting that opportunity this year to close ballgames was a lot of fun."

A finance major in Auburn University's Harbert College of Business, Burkhalter is only two semesters shy of graduating. When his professional baseball career concludes, he envisions transitioning to wealth management.

Before he manages other people's money, Burkhalter plans to earn his own, generating a return on his investment after years of perfecting his craft.

New team, new town, new role. In three years on the Plains, including an epic junior season, Blake Burkhalter became part of Auburn baseball lore and positioned himself to get the call to begin his ascent to the big leagues.  

"When this day finally comes around, it's going to be one of the best days of my life."
 Victorious in Omaha: Blake Burkhalter talks to reporters after Auburn's win vs. Stanford
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer