By JOHN BOHNENKAMP
Danny Rollins was a little late getting to the Burlington Bees for the Prospect League season.
There was this matter of going to the Men’s College World Series with his Murray State team.
Rollins was a second-year catcher on the Racers, whose surprising run through the NCAA baseball tournament got them to Omaha as one of the eight qualifiers to play for the national championship.
“That was one of the most fun teams I’ve ever been a part of,” Rollins said. “Everybody there, we all loved each other. And that experience of going to Omaha, you think it’s cool before you get there, and then you get there and it’s like, ‘Oh, my God.’ It was just an unbelievable experience.”
Murray State, which won the Missouri Valley Conference tournament and the league’s automatic bid into the field, was the fourth seed in the Oxford (Miss.) Regional, but got out of there and advanced to the Super Regionals against Duke. The Racers won the best-of-3 series 2-1 to advance to the World Series.
Murray State’s run ended with losses to UCLA and Arkansas, but getting to Omaha gave the program plenty of visibility.
“(Head coach Dan) Skirka is one of the best coaches in the nation,” Rollins said. “He had us prepared from day one. We were getting hot at the right time, and he made sure our hitters were prepared, and we took care of business.”
“I think it was huge for the program, just to prove that we’re worth something, and that Racer baseball has a winning culture under Coach Skirka. He’s really taken the program to the next level.”
Rollins didn’t play in the postseason — he had just four at-bats in two games. That is what makes this summer with the Bees important for him.
“I was just ready to play with the guys, get acclimated with the team, and have fun, play some baseball and win some ballgames,” said Rollins, who is from Roselle, Illinois. “I think it’s really important to get as many at-bats as I can. If I can get out there, get 80, 100 at-bats, that’s a pretty good number.”
“He’s just a grinder, just a competitor,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said of Rollins. “When he goes up to the plate, he wants to compete, he wants to beat you. He’s just a guy who’s going to go out there and give you everything he has.”
Rollins has gotten 18 plate appearances in five games with the Bees, hitting .333. He has had a hit in every game so far, and after catching the first four games played third base in Sunday’s 6-2 win over Clinton.
“I saw a picture the other day, and he had an infield mitt on throwing the ball across the field,” Oreskovich said. “And then he came up to me today and he said, ‘Yeah, I can play infield. I played there in high school and at Murray State.’ And I was like, ‘OK.’”
Rollins had four assists and two putouts at third.
“He made some good plays there,” Oreskovich said.
Community Field is going to be a home for Rollins for the next college season as well — he entered the transfer portal after Murray State’s season ended and he’ll be playing for Southeastern Community College in West Burlington after committing to the Blackhawks on Saturday.
“Coach (Justin) Schulte, he’s the dude,” Rollins said. “He’s got over a thousand wins, and he puts guys to work. It’s not going to be easy, I’ve learned that from the guys here who have played for him, but it seems 100 percent worth it to play here. I’ve met with Coach Schulte, I’ve talked with him a couple of times. I like him. I like what he’s about.
“I know they have a winning culture, so I’m excited to go there, keep that culture alive, keep winning ballgames, and then develop as a player and see where it takes me after that.”
Top photo: Burlington Bees catcher Danny Rollins was part of the Murray State team that made a run to the Men’s College World Series earlier this month. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)
