By FRED KRONER
As far back as he can remember, Crayton Burnett had a penchant for one particular endeavor.
“I liked to throw things,” said Burnett, a senior at St. Joseph-Ogden High School, “any ball or rock I could get my hands on.”
For his athletic pursuits, that meant tossing a ball around.
He was the quarterback for the Spartans’ varsity football playoff team as a junior and a pitcher for the baseball team as a sophomore.
Burnett will have ample opportunities to continue his throwing. He committed to the University of Illinois’ baseball team last week. Burnett plans on majoring in ag-business.
“It’s my dream school and definitely not an offer I could pass up,” Burnett said.
Burnett is the sixth SJ-O baseball player in the past eight years to accept a Division I offer.
The right-hander follows in the footsteps of Hunter Hart (2014 graduate, pitcher, Southern Illinois University), Cole Berry (2015 graduate, pitcher, Eastern Illinois University), Clayton Slifer (2015 graduate, pitcher, Eastern Illinois University), Dalton Parker (2016 graduate, pitcher, Purdue University) and Austin Cain (2018 graduate, outfielder, Nicholls State).
That pipeline may not be drying up soon.
“We have as much talent in the program as we’ve ever had,” SJ-O baseball head coach Josh Haley said. “He is the next great pitcher in a long line.”
Those who came before Burnett are part of the reason he is following in their footsteps.
“I grew up watching guys like Hunter, Dalton and Colton (Hale, 2017 graduate, pitcher, Illinois-Springfield),” Burnett said. “They pushed me.
“The history of St. Joe is humbling, and now I am a part of that.”
Burnett, a News-Gazette All-Area selection, played a starring role on the Spartans’ 27-win regional championship baseball team in 2019, but – like all other athletes in the state – played no role in 2020 as the coronavirus not only interrupted, but eventually canceled the entire spring sport season.
He was concerned how that could affect his recruitment, but didn’t let the down time be a waste of time.
“Before summer, I prepared a lot, mainly at home,” Burnett said. “I worked on my mechanics. I took advantage and got better.”
Haley wasn’t a bit surprised.
“He is goal-oriented and has a strong work ethic,” the veteran SJ-O coach said. “He holds himself to a high standard and is a great competitor.
“He gave himself every opportunity (to play beyond high school) because of his work ethic.”
Burnett’s summer team since 2015, the Decatur Commodores, played its schedule, ending the teen-ager’s brief exile from baseball.
Though he has played infield, in addition to pitching, Burnett envisions his future coming from the pitcher’s mound.
“I love to compete, and pitchers compete with every pitch they throw,” Burnett said.
Even before the fall football season was postponed by the IHSA and moved to an early spring start (with practices beginning in February), Burnett had made a decision about his future that included bypassing football.
He tried out – and was chosen – for a fall team out of Racine, Wisc., The Hitters Baseball Academy. Starting in early August, the Hitters played for nearly two months, competing in Iowa twice, Kansas City and Georgia as well as in Wisconsin.
It was a profitable time for Burnett, who pitched in nine games.
“I gained a lot of self-confidence on the mound,” Burnett said, “and found command of all three of my pitches.”
In addition to a fast ball and curve ball, Burnett recently added a change-up to his repertoire.
Haley said it was important for Burnett to get a chance with the Wisconsin travel team. Haley looked at the recruitment issue from a different perspective.
“I was concerned that a lot of (college) programs were backloaded, due to COVID (and players automatically receiving an additional year of eligibility because of the canceled 2020 season) and he was a little of an unknown commodity,” Haley said. “He needed to get exposed.”
The fall season served to showcase Burnett’s talents.
“Nothing he throws is straight,” Haley said, “and he was getting high-level hitters out.”
Illinois’ interest in the 18-year-old intensified in the fall. Prior to August, most of Burnett’s contact had been with Illinois-Chicago, Northern Illinois University and junior colleges such as Kaskaskia, Lake Land and Southeast (Iowa) Community College.
For the 6-foot, 170-pound Burnett, the Illini offer finalized a goal he felt was realistic since his sophomore breakout season with SJ-O (6-3 record and 96 strikeouts in 69 1/3 innings to go with an earned run average of 0.40).
“It started to click the beginning of my sophomore season,” Burnett said. “I felt confident and like I could compete with good competition.”
Football is now a sport he will watch, but not play.
“It was a tough decision, very hard to not play with my friends,” Burnett said, “but ultimately, it is the best thing for me.”
He hopes to still be there on Game Night.
“If they let people come, I’ll be there to watch,” he said.
Burnett said there is no chance he will become complacent now that he has settled on his collegiate home.
“The ultimate goal is to get drafted and play pro ball,” Burnett said. “There’s definitely a lot of work to put in.”
Before he gets to wear an Illini jersey – where he said, “I’ll be prepared for any situation, ready to take on any role and make the best of every opportunity I get,” – Burnett hopes there are more memories to be made in high school.
“For my senior year, I’ll focus on hopefully having the opportunity to play,” he said, “and having fun with my friends.
“Our goal is always to win state.”
Burnett, the middle of three siblings, has been involved with summer travel teams since he joined the St. Joseph Bandits as a 9-and-under player. Before hooking up with the Decatur Commodores, he was a member of Team Select.
Regardless of the organization he was affiliated with, there was one constant: the support of his parents, Chad and Brandi Burnett, who played an instrumental role.
“I would like to thank my parents for helping me travel to games and for everything along my many baseball seasons,” Crayton Burnett said.
