2011 Male Player: Burgess M. Watts

Burgess M. Watts

Being recognized as a team player perhaps is Burgess Watt's biggest reward, as this fiercely competitive shortstop/pitcher demands 100% from his teammates and has little interest in individual awards. Even though he has hit over 800 home runs in his 18-year career, he considers his defensive prowess and on-field leadership as his most contributing factors to his team's success stories.

After graduation from Wheaton Central High School, he went to Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL to play football, but after just one season, it was clear that his love for baseball was his true passion. This is when he transferred to the College of DuPage and following 2 great seasons with the Chaparrals on the diamond, it resulted in him being drafted in the 19th round of the 1990 MLB draft by the LA Dodgers.

This notoriety resulted in him being asked to begin his slow pitch participation with The Thunder from Aurora in 1993. This team only lost 5 games during the 1994 season that resulted in The Thunder capturing the Class C State Championship and finishing 2nd in the Divisional.

Following this success, Burgess found himself playing major with the Joe Black's team for the next 6 seasons, before stints with Home Run Inn, Ken Adams and Shenanigans. He presently is a member of the Ken Beverage squad that captured the Joliet National Invitational this past season.

Burgess has played with some very outstanding players and names Al Van Gampler, Joe Ambrose, Dan Prater, Scott McDaniel, Larry Sheppard and Brian Schultz as just a few that he has shared the diamoned with. He also thanks Irv Porter, Tom Stark, Ken Adams and Dan Catalcini for being his managers.

Burgess's most memorable experience was participating in the USSSA Men's Major World Series with Joe Blacks, even though they did not play as well as they had hoped. He, however, realizes the USSSA has provided him the ability to travel and meet some of the best players in the game, while also blessing him with many friends that he hopes to keep for along time. In addition, he thanks God for his abilities, his wife (Pamala) and the kids for their understanding why he was gone every weekend during the spring and summer, and his mother and father for introducing him to the game of baseball as a kid and support to this day.