FORT MYERS, Fla.- After putting together an All-Conference sophomore season for the Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers this spring, Bucs ace Landen Burch is headed to the NCAA Division I level after signing his National Letter of Intent to pitch for the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State next season.
Burch was a workhorse for the Bucs this season, starting the season as their closer before finishing the year as their number one starter. He took the ball 16 times including 11 starts, logging 73 1/3 innings which ranked second on the team. He finished 5-3 with a team best 3.56 ERA to earn 2nd Team All-Citrus Conference honors. Burch led the Bucs with 85 strikeouts on the year while notching a nearly 3-1 strikeout to walk ratio with just 31 free passes on the season. Burch was an innings eater for the Bucs, going five or more innings in 9 of his 10 starts after becoming a full time starter midway through the year. He racked up a career high 11 strikeouts in six innings of work in a win over Daytona State in late March and fired six shutout innings of three hit baseball in FSW's postseason opener against Santa Fe to earn himself NJCAA National Pitcher of the Week honors.
Burch will join a Blue Raider program coming off of a 20-36 campaign in 2024. MTSU finished 8-16 in Conference USA action which was good enough to punch their ticket to the CUSA Championships in Ruston, Louisiana.
Burch is the 11th Division I and 12th overall four year signee for the Bucs this season joining Justin Thomas (Arkansas), Landon O'Donnell (Florida State), Jared Davis (Virginia Tech), Victor Figueroa and Isaac Upole (Pittsburgh), Alex Walsh (Oklahoma State), Reyn Watson and Nate Earley (Appalachian State), Logan O'Leary (UNC-Charlotte), Luca Danos (Loyola Marymount), and Jahir Perez (Southeastern).
