One conversation. That’s all it took for Ben Burkey and Memory 21 to realize they were a match.
The Ephrata grad, a relief pitcher for last season’s Lancaster-Lebanon League championship baseball team, was in search of summer innings. He found the perfect spot.
“These guys needed pitching,” Burkey said. “They were pretty low on players.”
Manager Jose Reyes was willing to give Burkey a chance. It was a leap of faith. The Quad County Optimist League is loaded with experienced hitters. Better hitters than Burkey faced in high school.
The newcomer has shown he belongs. He was even picked to start Game 1 of the playoffs.
“This kid came out of nowhere,” Reyes said. “He has improved a lot since the beginning of the year. My philosophy is give him the ball and see what happens. Young kid, very talented. Not overpowering but very good.”
Memory 21 and Quarryville are tied 1-1 in their best-of-three semifinal series. They’ll square off for a chance to reach the final at Lancaster Mennonite at 6:30 Monday night.
The winner takes on the Royals in a best-of-five series that starts Wednesday. The Royals finished in first place during the regular season.
Memory 21 wouldn’t be in this position without Burkey. The 6-foot, 165-pound right-hander allowed one run in six innings to earn the win in Game 1 on Thursday.
Burkey didn’t join the team until three or four games into the season. The Penn State Harrisburg commit was looking for a place to play at the encouragement of future coach Ryan Bown.
Memory 21 has Ephrata ties. Dawson Shelley, an outfielder at York College and the son of Mounts coach Adrian Shelley, told Burkey that Memory 21 could use him. That’s what led to the initial conversation.
“It’s crazy,” Burkey said. “I just came here to get summer reps. I didn’t think I’d be too good at the start of it, to be honest. I had to trust myself. They obviously trust me.”
Reyes has shown confidence in Burkey, who allowed three hits and fired 104 pitches in his playoff outing. The manager let his starter take the mound to begin the seventh inning, clinging to a one-run lead, before calling on Dalton Geiger to close it out.
Burkey pitched while wearing a New York Yankees cap. His favorite Yankees pitcher is Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera.
The right-hander was a force out of the bullpen for Ephrata. Burkey went 4-2 with a 2.65 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 39⅔ innings, according to MaxPreps. He did his best Rivera impression when he recorded the final three outs to hold off Lampeter-Strasburg 4-3 in the L-L championship game in May.
MIKE GROSS | Sports WriterMemory 21 isn’t afraid to give young players a chance. Shortstop Trey Stricker, who made a diving catch to end Game 1, is a rising junior at Berks Catholic.
Burkey, who played in the LNP Tournament last summer, has made a strong impression while making a huge jump in level of opponent.
“You can tell from the very first day if this person has it or not,” Reyes said. “He’s a very good kid. He listens. That’s the most important thing. If you tell him something, he doesn’t repeat the same mistake.”
Both the team and the pitcher have benefited from this last-minute merger.
The Quad County experience has been valuable for Burkey, who will head to Penn State Harrisburg with more confidence.
Memory 21, boosted by the kid who came out of nowhere, is one win from the championship round.
