14 hours Ago
The approach at the plate is simple, always has been. Chase Burchfield isn’t interested in pulling the ball to right field. He’d much rather go the other way.
“I just go up there and try to hit singles to left field and whatever happens, happens,” the Pennsville senior right fielder said. “I know when I come up and have runners on, I have to score them. I just try to hit the ball to the left-center gap every time, stay there.
” It’s a mindset that started as a young kid. Much smaller than he is now, Burchfield was a singles hitter. The philosophy, and some added muscle over the past two years, has paid huge dividends.
Pennsville senior outfielder Chase Burchfield will play his college baseball at La Salle University in Philadelphia. Kevin Minnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Not only is he hitting singles, but he’s driving the baseball for extra bases.
A statewide All-Group 1 first-team selection last season, Burchfield has emerged as one of the region’s top all-around outfielders. The La Salle commit recently joined the 100-hit club and is two RBIs away from 100 in that category, too. “Chase got thrown into the fire, as most of our senior guys did when they were freshmen.
He jumped right in, put the bat on the ball, and he’s been doing that ever since,” Pennsville coach Matt Karr said. “He’s our guy, it’s no secret around South Jersey. He’s going to be right there in the middle of our lineup going forward.
He’s going to be the guy we lean on, the guy who drives in runs for us. “He’s made big improvements. He’s got really strong hands, a swing that doesn’t take much effort.
It’s a really effortless swing.” In his fourth season, Burchfield has continued to put up impressive numbers. He’s hit safely in all 11 games and has five multi-hit games.
His .529 batting average (18-for-34) is a team-best among players with more than a dozen at-bats. Pennsville coach Matt Karr congratulates Chase Burchfield as he rounds the bases after hitting a home run against Haddon Heights.
Kevin Minnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Burchfield also leads the Eagles in triples (2), home runs (3), RBIs (18) and runs scored (19). He’s walked 10 times and shares the team lead in stolen bases (4).
“Honestly, I just get up there and try to help the team any way I can,” Burchfield said. “I don’t really think about myself. But I know if I’m hitting, we’ll usually be in the game and winning.
“I grew up a really small kid, so I was always just hitting singles. I got bigger going into junior year, but I didn’t change my mindset at all. I’ve always just been a little like a slap-contact guy, but now the ball can fly out of the yard a little bit, too.
” Burchfield’s development hasn’t gone unnoticed. Chase Burchfield is hitting a team-leading .529 for Pennsville.
Kevin Minnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com “Sometimes there’s this stigma with baseball players that the weight room is a bad thing, but it’s not. The weight room is what takes you from a boy to a man,” Karr said.
“He made the decision to get in there and really get stronger, grow into his body. He’s maturing now as an 18-year-old senior as opposed to when he came in as a 14-year-old scrawny freshman. “Chase is a baseball player, plays year round.
He understands the game. As he gets older and as this season goes on, he’s going to understand that finding good pitches to hit are going to come less and less for him. But at the same time, he’s ready that once they make that mistake pitch or put it over the plate that he’s going to be there to deliver.
He may only see one good pitch an at-bat, but he’ll be ready for it when it comes.” Pennsville (7-4) hasn’t played since April 22 because of the school’s prom and senior trip. The Eagles are slated to play at Clayton on May 5.
You can bet Burchfield will be ready to step in the batter’s box and pick up where things left off The N.J. High School Sports newsletter now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week.
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