Joshua Buczek Named 2016 NCCAA Hank Burbridge Recipient

Central Baptist College's Joshua Buczek has been selected as the 2016 Hank Burbridge Unlimited Potential Outstanding Leadership Award recipient. The award is the most prestigious given to a baseball player in the NCCAA. The purpose of the award is to honor the NCCAA's Outstanding Christian Baseball Player of the Year with potential Christian service through baseball. In order to be eligible for this award, a student-athlete must be at least a junior; possess and demonstrate, outstanding leadership qualities; possess and demonstrate outstanding athletic ability; and possess and demonstrate a vibrant and clear Christian testimony on and off the field. Buczek, a senior from Donalsonville, Georgia, came to CBC after his freshman season at Emmanuel College where he was named the Southern States Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year. 

Conway was a family affair with his older brothers, Samuel Buczek (also a former Mustang player) and Associate Head Coach Jonathan Buczek, all making the trip with Head Coach Dr. Aaron Brister. He is a Sports Management major and currently has a 3.49 GPA. Other recognitions during Buczek's college career include: 2015 - Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) First Team All-Conference (shortstop), MCAC All-Tournament Team, MCAC Scholar Athlete, NCCAA Central Region First Team, NCCAA Second Team All-American, NCCAA Scholar Athlete, Central Baptist College Dean's List 2016 American Midwest Conference (AMC) All-Academic Team, NAIA Champion of Character Award (Baseball-CBC), Central Baptist College Dean's List. Joshua hasn't just spent his time in the classroom or ball field, his efforts in the community are endless. He has served at his local high school in camps that teach baseball skills and teach youth how to use sports in a Christ-centered way. He is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and has participated in various events. He served as a student-ministry intern for Conway's First Baptist Church and as an interim youth pastor during the summer at Friendship United Methodist Church in Donalsonville. 

Buczek has a gift for music and has used his talents as a drummer to be a part of praise bands in his hometown church and in Conway. Coach Brister had this to say when he was notified about the award, "Josh Buczek has been a key player that I have built this program around. I knew when Josh and Sam decided to follow me to CBC that God was going to do something very special in both of their lives. Josh is the perfect example of the type of man I want to recruit for my program. He is excellent in the classroom, excellent in the weight room, excellent on the practice field, excellent in the game, and puts Jesus as #1 in his life. It is very rare to find a player with all of those qualities. I am blessed to have coached him." This is the first time a Mustang has received the award, founded in 1990.