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Chris Burke officially inducted into Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame

Wade-Peeryby:Wade Peery•07/20/24
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© Stephanie Amador / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Tennessee Volunteers baseball program is still riding high off of bringing home the first ever national championship in school history. And on Saturday night in Nashville, they got to honor one of the best players ever to suit up in Knoxville. Chris Burke was officially inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday night.

Burke joined 12 other members being inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday night, including Tennessee Titans legend Chris Johnson, who cemented a legacy as one of the best running backs in NFL history during his time with the franchise.

Chris Burke was one of the all-time greats in Volunteer history

Burke was one of the most decorated players in Volunteer baseball history. He became the first player in program history to hit for the cycle. From his Tennessee bio, “A first-round MLB Draft pick after leading the Volunteers to the 2021 College World Series, Burkey played six seasons in the big leagues with the Houston Astros, Arizona Diamondbacks, and San Diego Padres. He was inducted into the Tennessee Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013.

He wrapped up his three-year career as the program’s all-time leader in hits (314), runs scored (224), singles (199), doubles (72), triples (17), and total bases (498).

In 2001, Burke was a National Player of the Year finalist, after he guided the Vols to the College World Series and a 48-20 overall record (18-12 in the SEC). Burke also earned first team All-American honors from every major publication across the country. He hit .435 at the plate, leading the SEC in that category, as well as several others: slugging percentage (.815), on-base percentage (.537), hits (118), runs scored (105), stolen bases (49), and total bases (221).

In the College World Series that year, Burke hit .389 at the plate, with an inside the park home run and six steals. He also became the first Volunteer to ever hit for the cycle when he went 4-for-5 at the plate with three RBIs against Vanderbilt (05/11/2001).

As a sophomore in 2000, he showed the consistency that would eventually turn him into one of the best hitters in the nation. Burke had at least one hit in 52 of his 63 games, collecting four hits on five occasions. An impressive fielder too, he not only finished the year with a nine-game hitting streak, but a 19-game streak without an error.

As a freshman, he didn’t disappoint, earning freshman All-American honors after he hit .372, 87 hits, and 25 doubles. Burke once again showed tremendous promise and potential as a fielder, making only four errors in 268 chances (.993 fielding percentage).

Coming out of high school, Burke was a highly rated prospect for St. Xavier (Louisville, Kentucky). He earned runner-up for Mr. Baseball in the state of Kentucky for 1998, after he hit .500, nine home runs, 55 RBIs, and 49 stolen bases.