Northern Star: Anika Burke
Senior catcher eying section three-peat
PROCTOR, Minn.- After being a key contributor to Proctor’s 2023 Section 7AA title, Anika Burke has only gotten better this year as a senior leader with the Rails.
With six home runs on the season, Burke has proven to be the strongest hitter in Proctor’s lineup. She also has a strong opinion on Bigfoot, of all things, which stems from an ongoing debate between she and her coach, Bud Joyce.
“I think he’s not real and our coach just makes that up,” she says after letting out a laugh. “I have never personally seen any footage of Bigfoot, but I think our coach is crazy.”
It’s also crazy to think that Burke hasn’t always played at the catcher position for the Rails.
“What I like about being catcher is I’m involved in every single play,” says Burke. “My freshman and sophomore year, I played third base and I got really bored. I was a catcher when I was younger, but then when I came here, we already had a catcher. So, I was like, I’ll play wherever coach puts me so I kind of had to adapt to that corner spot. I like working with all of our pitchers, they all have different pitches and stuff they bring to us.”
“(Anika) knows when to do the right signs,” said Emma Shelton, a senior pitcher for Proctor. “She is good at keeping the ball in front of her, too.”
Burke’s impact on the Rails also stretches beyond her play at the plate. “(Anika) brings everything to the team,” expressed fellow senior Sydney Adamski. “She’s such a great asset, always having a good attitude, playing to her full potential. Even if (her teammates) make mistakes, she’s always trying to lift people up.”
After winning section titles over the last two years, a third-straight championship would seem to be the cherry on top of Burke’s long list of high school softball achievements.
“We have prepared ourselves to kind of do the best of our abilities,” says Burke. “So, I think we’re going for the three-peat definitely this year and then we want to make something happen at state.”
Meanwhile, as her time at Proctor winds down, Burke hopes to make something clear to her younger teammates as they continue to play with the Rails.
“I hope to teach them that it’s a game of failure,” Burke explained. “And you just got to keep your head high through those times, because that’s what makes the great plays and the great games just that much better.”
Proctor will play Superior on Thursday and Rush City on Friday before the start of the Section 7AA Tournament.
