Eastern's Burke making noise with bat

PORTALES — Shy and introverted off the field, Eastern New Mexico's Erikka Burke tends to play loudly on it.

The 5-foot-6 senior first baseman for the Greyhound softball team is just four home runs away from breaking the school's all-time record, and in the process, she's helped the ENMU softball program gain footing in both the Lone Star Conference and NCAA Division II play.

"I don't know, it's just something about being on the field," Burke said of her ability to flip a switch, personality-wise, when she plays softball. "It's like our environment, it feels like home."

The Elk Grove, California-native stayed close to home and attended Sacramento City College for two years — redshirting her freshman season with the Panthers — before transferring to Eastern in 2016. While she was recruited by former coach Kristen Soukop, she's glad to play for Hounds head coach Katie Welborn — and the feeling is mutual.

"Inheriting her was a nice surprise," Welborn explained. "It's really been a pleasure to have gotten to see her grow as a player and as a person. She's grown tremendously."

Welborn says that while Burke is a shy introvert, she was voted team co-captain by her peers, as she not only leads by example, but also gets vocal when she needs to. According to Burke, she's played softball since age 4, as her parents got her and her sister into the sport, and she instantly fell in love with it.

After starting college back home, a former teammate (Morgan Green) transferred to Eastern and told her of the experience. The Hounds were struggling just to win a quarter of their games at the time, and Burke was intrigued by the idea of helping the program reach new heights.

As a sophomore in 2016, Burke batted .315 in 55 games, hitting nine home runs and driving in 28 runs. Not only did her homer and RBI totals increase in 2017 — 13 and 47, respectively — but so did ENMU's win total.

The Greyhounds made a seven-win improvement from the previous year, giving them their first 20-win season in a decade.

In 2018, Burke hasn't disappointed. Through 18 games, the Greyhounds are 10-8, and Burke already has eight home runs and 16 RBIs, to go along with a .431 average and a 1.020 slugging percentage.

Her hitting has rubbed off on her teammates. Last year, ENMU hit just 29 home runs all season — nearly half of which came from Burke. This year, it's already 20 round-trippers, and several players have slugging percentages north of .400.

"It helps a lot when we can get people on (base) and we can get extra RBIs," Burke said of having more protection in the lineup this year. "Having power helps, but getting more people on is really more important."

While Burke is certainly impressive at the plate, she's also honed her glovework, as well. Burke has a .971 fielding percentage this year, and had an even more impressive junior campaign with a .986 fielding percentage against just five errors in 53 games.

"Every year, it's been gradual improvement," Welborn explained. "There's been no spike, she's just very consistent. She's just worked really hard and put in the extra hours."

Burke's 30 career dingers put her three shy of Rachel Mohler's school record of 33, set in 2002. According to Welborn, Burke is a selfless player that Welborn believes will still be more focused on the season at hand than breaking the mark, probably not letting the accomplishment sink in until she graduates.

Burke would probably agree, but she figures she'll spend more time missing the dugout.

"Definitely the environment of being on the field," Burke explained. "They're not just my teammates, but my sisters. I'll miss all the players, coaches, the weightlifting, everything. It's definitely gonna feel weird to not be out there anymore."