The Winding Collegiate Career for Dan Burnett Ends with ABCA/Rawlings All-American Status

WESTFIELD, Mass. –  Westfield State's Dan Burnett (Granville, Mass./Southwick-Tolland) has added membership on the ABCA/Rawlings Division III All-America Team to his growing list of accolades, the second All-America team the Owls standout hitter has been chosen for after one of the best seasons at the plate in the history of Owls' baseball.

Burnett concluded the year with 14 home runs, 61 RBI, and 119 total bases, which were all single-season program high marks. He led the MASCAC with an .856 slugging percentage and 30 extra base hits while also finishing top three in batting average, home runs and RBI. Burnett's sheer power numbers only reflect a portion of his value to the team as he also joined the Westfield State .400-hit club by posting a .410 batting average while hitting in the middle of the Owls order throughout the year.

"Being named an All-American was one of my individual goals entering the season," Burnett said. "I am thankful to have been able to reach such an incredible achievement with Westfield."

He also earned ABCA/Rawlings and D3baseball.com All-Region honors and secured MASCAC first team recognition for a second time in his career at Westfield. Adding to the mound of individual accolades, Burnett was also awarded the Westfield State Athletics Male Athlete of the Year award.

"He was such a dynamic force in the lineup and that still is an understatement," said Owls head coach Seth Kaplan.

A transfer from then-Division I University of Hartford, Burnett sandwiched two seasons at Westfield State University around a season ending injury, that made the path to All-American status a winding one for the Owls big bat.

THROUGH THE PORTAL

Burnett began his collegiate career at the Division I level at Hartford University where he spent his freshman and sophomore seasons. In his sophomore year, he belted seven home runs and produced 34 runs batted in with 41 hits for a .275 batting average.

For Burnett, that would be his final season at Hartford as the program announced that it would be transitioning to the Division III level, which in turn led to Burnett seeking other options to continue his playing career.

"I was looking for a place that felt like home," said Burnett. "When I had my visit to Westfield, I realized how much everyone cared and their recent success with winning the Smith Cup. Every team at the school wins and I wanted to be a part of that culture."

Burnett noted the baseball program success and the department's overall athletic accomplishments as reasons for committing to Westfield State but he also spent time within Westfield State athletics when he was still in high school.

"When I was in high school I did an internship with Mr. Lenfest which was a valuable experience which also gave me some familiarity to the department and program," noted Burnett.

His prior experiences with the Owls resulted in Burnett starting a second chapter of his collegiate playing career in Westfield.

AS AN OWL

As a junior in 2023, Burnett hit .360 with nine home runs, 25 extra base hits, and 54 hits across 38 games. He was named to the 2023 MASCAC All-Conference First Team and earned a spot on the ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Team.

After the strong junior year, Burnett suffered a season-ending injury just four games into the 2024 season, threatening to short-circuit his career.

Although there was a window of opportunity for Burnett to potentially return for postseason play, a conversation between Burnett, Coach Kaplan, and Associate Athletic Trainer Katie Sylvain led to the decision of Burnett returning for a fifth year, redshirting him for the 2024 season in preparation for one final year.

In response to his preparation for the 2025 season, Burnett highlighted the increased time he had available to get ready for opening day 2025 as a result of the injury that ended his season in 2024. "I haven't had that much time to recover and prepare myself for a season before. My plan was just to get one percent better every day and continue to work hard in the off-season to get back to where I was."

Burnett's record-breaking season at the plate proved that off-season plan proved to be a more than a success.

AN ALL-AMERICAN SEASON

After beginning the 2025 season with a one-for-six start at the dish in the season-opening series, Burnett flipped the switch in emphatic fashion for the team's second series of the year against Trinity College. Burnett launched a pair of home runs and racked up seven RBI, five hits and four extra base hits to jumpstart his All-American campaign. He would ride a 13-game hitting streak into the middle of the season, then close the year by tallying hits in 13 of his final 14 games. In total, Burnett logged hits in 34 of 38 games with at least one extra base hit in half of those games.

"This is what we envisioned for him in having the chance to play a full season in his senior year," Kaplan explained. "We wanted to give him a chance to achieve some of the goals he set when he arrived at Westfield."

Not only were Burnett's offensive numbers stellar upon return for his final year, but his versatility in the field allowed Coach Kaplan to maximize the lineup. Burnett got starts in left field, second base, and first base throughout the course of the season.

"First base was the position I had the least experience with of the three coming into the season. But I was here to play wherever the team needed me," said Burnett. Despite having the least amount of experience at the position and due to his utility status, Burnett still found himself on the D3baseball.com All-Region First Team as a first baseman, a position new to him entering the year. All three positions forced Burnett to adapt as in his junior season with Westfield he spent the majority of his time at third base.

His on-field success matched his captaincy and selflessness as a player for the Owls. Playing multiple positions was a testament to Burnett's leadership and will to win as he served as one of Coach Kaplan's captains for the season.

"It's easy when your best player is your hardest worker," said Kaplan on naming Burnett a captain. "He was always the first player down to the field. He held players accountable whether that be in the weight room, in the batting cages, or on the field, but he never talked down to anyone and was there to help whether you were a freshman or another senior."

A GRAND-SLAM FINALE

In the final game of the 2025 season, Burnett powered a second-inning grand-slam to give the Owls a 5-3 lead over Framingham in the MASCAC Tournament – but the Owls ended up falling short in that game to end the season with a 26-12 record.

Burnett's career numbers with the Owls program reflect what seemingly could have been mistaken for a four-year workload with the Owls. "He was top five in career home runs in just two full seasons here," added Kaplan. "Imagine what he could have done in four seasons."

Burnett finished his Owls career tied for third in career home runs with 23, reaching that mark in just 80 games. To put his power numbers into perspective, Anthony Crowley '19, the Owls all-time leading home run hitter with 30  - played in 146 career games with Westfield.

For the Westfield baseball program, this is the second straight season the team has had an All-American as in 2024, starting pitcher Ryan Lapierre was named an ABCA/Rawlings Academic All-American. Lapierre and Burnett were teammates at Hartford before both transferred to Westfield State, where they were roommates.

"It was special to have coached both those guys and see them as players, individuals, and leaders," mentioned Kaplan. "It validates all of the hard work of the coaching staff to see both guys be named All-Americans. It reflects the talent that is here and the talent that can be here." Coach Kaplan also thanked former head coach Nathan Bashaw in his recruitment of both players to Westfield.

Although his playing career is over, another door could be opening for Burnett who might find himself on the coaching side of things in the spring of 2026. "I have had conversations with Coach Kaplan about joining the coaching staff next year." Burnett is also seeking a career path in law enforcement as he graduated with a degree in criminal justice.

Reflecting on Burnett's playing career, Kaplan expressed, "It's nice to sit back and have other coaches around Division III say to me, 'Yeah we missed out on that guy.'"