Bio

Pitcher Will Buraconak is a lefty to look up to.

Literally. The dude is six-foot-eight-inches tall. But as big as his presence might feel, his task of tackling a new role to start his last collegiate season felt even bigger.

"I was kinda finding myself as a reliever. I was always a starter, and it wasn't until Indiana State that I came out of the bullpen," Buraconak said. "My best days, when everything was working, I think I was lights out. I needed to adjust to the bad days, and I think I didn't know how to do that yet."

The super-sized southpaw figured it out fast. As he found a steady workload, he also found his secret weapon.

"I really started to find my changeup, and in games where I had my changeup, I was untouchable. I felt invincible. I felt good. I felt like I could throw anything on any count."

And so, in 13 appearances, all out of the 'pen, he went 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA. In 18 innings, he tossed 17 strikeouts and walked just seven batters, finishing his senior Sycamore season with a WHIP of 1.44.

Buraconak brought an ability to get out of jams. But after his college career concluded, he found himself in a bit of a jam.

"My goal was to get drafted," he said. "Obviously, that just didn't work out for me, so at the end of the season, I was just lost. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know where to go."

He went the only place he really could: home. Luckily, the independent United Shore League had teams less than a half hour from him.

"I thought for sure that was my shot to get in," said the massive Michigander. But after the league's one-day tryout, "I didn't make it, and that was my only plan."

But just like a call to the bullpen challenged him as a senior, a call from a buddy challenged him at the start of his pro career. It was from a JuCo colleague playing in the Pecos League. He was in Monterey, and they needed pitching.

All Buraconak needed was that opportunity, and he took full advantage. It was a super small sample size, but in his seven innings of regular season work, he struck out 15 hitters. That gave him an inane 19.3 strikeouts per nine innings, and his WHIP dropped to the 1.29 mark.

The AmberJacks wrapped up their season, but the United Shore League had another month left. Buraconak had finally proven enough to play, and spent the next six games with the EastSide Diamond Hoppers. When we went to work with them, batters hit a measly .234 off him, and in 12 innings, he didn't walk a single guy he faced.

He started 2021 with a new role. Then he had no role. Once he settled in as a pro, he became dynamic, and he's not done yet.

"I felt good, but I felt like I still had a lot of work to do. This offseason was big for me in terms of kinda turning my game up a notch," he said. "I'm definitely hungry for this season. It's gonna be a big year for me in terms of my career and future in pro ball."