Luke Burk Signs Letter of Intent with Auburn
November 26, 2020
Luke Burke signing up to go to Auburn, photo by Brookelyn Burk
Hunter Chase
Luke Burk, a graduate of Galena High School, is one heck of a baseball player. He was a four-year starter for the Bears and earned All-State accolades three times. After he graduated from Galena, he played baseball at Neosho County Community College in Chanute, Kansas. Burk has just signed a letter of intent to play at Auburn University.
I recently did an exclusive interview with Luke about this accomplishment.
Why did you decide to transfer? “Transferring has always been the plan once I decided to go to a junior college my senior year. The majority of baseball players who want to play in college have a dream of signing with a big school like Auburn. It was definitely for me, at least, but I came to the realization that going to a junior college was my best option of fulfilling my dream of playing in the SEC or another Power Five Conference. I chose to go to a junior college to develop for two years to prepare for a higher level of baseball. Although there was uncertainty in where I would get the chance to play after Neosho County, I am glad I made the choice I did.”
What challenges do you think you’ll face? “Making the jump from a high school athlete to a college athlete of any level is going to have some challenges. At Neosho, it was time management between practices, workouts, class, and homework. I expect that to become even more prevalent while I make the move to a bigger school. Next year at Auburn, managing time will become even harder in the spring. We have weekend road trips that demand missing class Friday and possibly Thursday for three-game series. The baseball side of the change is going to a much bigger school. It will be a challenge to get settled into the level of competition that will be top of the line for college baseball. I will be expected to be and bring my best every day on the field will be quite the grind over the course of the year.”
What do you think some of the benefits of going to a larger school will be? “I think there will be many benefits for me at Auburn I will have access to the best facilities and equipment possible. Having a veteran head coach will be tremendous in the development of me as a player. He is backed up with assistants who have played in the big leagues and even the World Series. I will have access to everything I need to become the best I can be.”
What was your reaction when you were told you were being looked at by Auburn? “My coach at Neosho was getting in contact with big schools and asking what they needed for recruits. They told him that they needed a third baseman that fit my description pretty well. My coach then sent off as much information about me as he could. Then he came to me and told me about it. Honestly, I did not expect much to come of it after that. After a day or two, he came back to me and said I should stay near my phone for the rest of the evening and expect a call from Auburn. The feeling I got after that was unexplainable, nervousness, excitement, and a little bit of disbelief. The first phone call I had with them was just introducing ourselves to each other. The next phone call was the day after. That is when it sank in that this might actually become a real option for me next year. They began to show me around the baseball facilities as well as let me talk to all the coaches. After that phone call, I realized that they were legitimately interested in me. I couldn’t keep a smile off my face.”
What are some details you can share about the recruiting process? “If I’m telling you the truth, other than my experiences with Auburn, the recruitment process isn’t all that fun during COVID. It is a stressful thing because it is a big decision to make for my future. When being recruited, a player generally gets to know the coach a little bit. Then they will have you on a visit to see how things are on campus, but this year everything is virtual. Getting campus tours from different schools over FaceTime is incomparable to actually being on campus. Making a decision on what college to attend became even harder. When Auburn contacted me, it became much easier because playing in the SEC or at a school of similar status was the end goal for me in college.”
How does it feel knowing that you are going to be playing in the SEC? “Nerve-wracking, that is the best way I can put it. There is also a lot of excitement, but that gets drowned out by my nerves right now. When I think about getting to play in front of thousands of fans and even on TV, I get butterflies in my stomach and a bit of an adrenaline rush. Getting this opportunity has also been motivating to me to work even harder than I have before because I have aspirations of doing big things at that level.”
Burk will continue his time at Neosho County Community College this spring before arriving at Auburn, Alabama, to play for the Tigers in 2021-2022. The Bears would like to congratulate Luke on all of his accomplishments. I believe that all of Galena will now be Auburn Tigers baseball fans.
Luke Burk, a graduate of Galena High School, is one heck of a baseball player. He was a four-year starter for the Bears and earned All-State accolades three times. After he graduated from Galena, he played baseball at Neosho County Community College in Chanute, Kansas. Burk has just signed a letter of intent to play at Auburn University.
I recently did an exclusive interview with Luke about this accomplishment.
Why did you decide to transfer? “Transferring has always been the plan once I decided to go to a junior college my senior year. The majority of baseball players who want to play in college have a dream of signing with a big school like Auburn. It was definitely for me, at least, but I came to the realization that going to a junior college was my best option of fulfilling my dream of playing in the SEC or another Power Five Conference. I chose to go to a junior college to develop for two years to prepare for a higher level of baseball. Although there was uncertainty in where I would get the chance to play after Neosho County, I am glad I made the choice I did.”
What challenges do you think you’ll face? “Making the jump from a high school athlete to a college athlete of any level is going to have some challenges. At Neosho, it was time management between practices, workouts, class, and homework. I expect that to become even more prevalent while I make the move to a bigger school. Next year at Auburn, managing time will become even harder in the spring. We have weekend road trips that demand missing class Friday and possibly Thursday for three-game series. The baseball side of the change is going to a much bigger school. It will be a challenge to get settled into the level of competition that will be top of the line for college baseball. I will be expected to be and bring my best every day on the field will be quite the grind over the course of the year.”
What do you think some of the benefits of going to a larger school will be? “I think there will be many benefits for me at Auburn I will have access to the best facilities and equipment possible. Having a veteran head coach will be tremendous in the development of me as a player. He is backed up with assistants who have played in the big leagues and even the World Series. I will have access to everything I need to become the best I can be.”
What was your reaction when you were told you were being looked at by Auburn? “My coach at Neosho was getting in contact with big schools and asking what they needed for recruits. They told him that they needed a third baseman that fit my description pretty well. My coach then sent off as much information about me as he could. Then he came to me and told me about it. Honestly, I did not expect much to come of it after that. After a day or two, he came back to me and said I should stay near my phone for the rest of the evening and expect a call from Auburn. The feeling I got after that was unexplainable, nervousness, excitement, and a little bit of disbelief. The first phone call I had with them was just introducing ourselves to each other. The next phone call was the day after. That is when it sank in that this might actually become a real option for me next year. They began to show me around the baseball facilities as well as let me talk to all the coaches. After that phone call, I realized that they were legitimately interested in me. I couldn’t keep a smile off my face.”
What are some details you can share about the recruiting process? “If I’m telling you the truth, other than my experiences with Auburn, the recruitment process isn’t all that fun during COVID. It is a stressful thing because it is a big decision to make for my future. When being recruited, a player generally gets to know the coach a little bit. Then they will have you on a visit to see how things are on campus, but this year everything is virtual. Getting campus tours from different schools over FaceTime is incomparable to actually being on campus. Making a decision on what college to attend became even harder. When Auburn contacted me, it became much easier because playing in the SEC or at a school of similar status was the end goal for me in college.”
How does it feel knowing that you are going to be playing in the SEC? “Nerve-wracking, that is the best way I can put it. There is also a lot of excitement, but that gets drowned out by my nerves right now. When I think about getting to play in front of thousands of fans and even on TV, I get butterflies in my stomach and a bit of an adrenaline rush. Getting this opportunity has also been motivating to me to work even harder than I have before because I have aspirations of doing big things at that level.”
Burk will continue his time at Neosho County Community College this spring before arriving at Auburn, Alabama, to play for the Tigers in 2021-2022. The Bears would like to congratulate Luke on all of his accomplishments. I believe that all of Galena will now be Auburn Tigers baseball fans.