Boston College Athletics
October 13, 2026 | Baseball, #ForBoston Files
Nick Burdi's hire gives BC a unique chance to develop new looks at its pitching staff.
BRIGHTON, Mass. — The scene at the Harrington Athletics Village resembled little of the warmth and excitement once reserved for a Saturday baseball game at Boston College. The fans situated beyond the outfield wall were missing, and the decidedly absent bustle in the ballpark stemmed from a lack of fans milling through the plaza behind the first base line. A cold wind swept over the infield, and gray skies hung over a Brighton afternoon without the waning daylight from April or May.
The scene resembled one of Boston College's early season matchups from past seasons, but replacing summer sunblock with pumpkin spice quietly allowed the Eagles to battle Hofstra across a fall ball exhibition more critically important than anyone away from Brighton would have realized.Â
"The biggest thing is watching [our players] and how they go about their daily work," said pitching coach Nick Burdi. "We're watching how guys compete, how they show up on a day-to-day basis, what they're working on and how they did over the summer. Obviously I want to get my hands on [the job], and a lot of guys have a lot of say in understanding how players' arsenals are going to be different."
Burdi's addition highlights how offseason changes introduced a transitional shift after last year's success led to the departure of Ryan Forrest, the pitching coach that arrived when BC hired Todd Interdonato in 2023. The former pitching coach at Air Force helped build a staff that ranked among the 60 best pitching units in the nation in terms of earned run average, and his development with the arms unit led to breakout performances over the past three years before Princeton hired him to revive the fortunes of one of the nation's oldest programs.
In his place arrived Burdi, a former big leaguer and one of the most dominant arms of Louisville's late tenure in the Big East. He recorded 34 saves over a two-year period while the Cardinals transitioned through the conference's separation into the American Athletic Conference, and he struck out 127 hitters with a sub-1.00 ERA over just north of 70 innings during his sophomore and junior seasons. Louisville, in turn, went 101-31 over that time period and advanced to consecutive College World Series appearances while sweeping through both the regional and super regional rounds over that period.
Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the second round of the 2014 Major League Baseball entry draft, he quickly rose through the minors before enjoying time in the big leagues over a six-year span that included a stint with both the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. He formally retired in May before becoming a college coach, which led him to BC after briefly rejoining the Cardinals over the summer.
"When we celebrated with Ryan [and his family] on their new assignment to Princeton, we were looking for a coach who could continue to build on what Ryan had created for our pitching staff," said Interdonato in a September statement announcing Burdi's hire. "Our search was extensive, but Nick's passion for teaching and his belief in Birdball separated him to the rest of our coaching staff. His playing career, both at Louisville and professional baseball, speaks for itself, but his ability to connect with our players and his vision for each of them individually is why he is a part of Birdball."
Burdi's professional career was a testament to a gritty and determined approach to the game, and he conjoined high-level stuff with the fighter's mentality required from back-end bullpen pitchers. He repeatedly reconstructed his body and delivery after enduring injuries during his professional career, but the resultant deepening of the science of pitching offered a unique opportunity for the Eagles to build out their depth on the hill.
Saturday afternoon, for example, saw Brayden Ryan and Champ Davis throw consecutive scoreless innings against Hofstra, and Matt Kouser threw two scoreless innings as an opener before Ethan Marzo and Will Meehan each struck out two hitters across two combined innings of relief. Each brought unique mechanics, size and ability to a staff that's seeking to diversify its attack against opposing hitters by introducing different looks into different situations over the course of the fall months.
"We're looking to create the ground force for these guys," said Burdi about the fall ball performances. "We want to get them more stable in the weight room, and we want them to be better movers overall. At the end of the day, they're amateurs. They're still developing. They're still in that process of trying to become big leaguers. So this is a group that you almost have to pull the reins on them because they want to work. They want to be great. So we have to make sure that we're managing their workload [through the fall]. They understand what they need to do out there, but at the end of the day, getting these guys to become better movers off of the mound is our most important goal."
The scene resembled one of Boston College's early season matchups from past seasons, but replacing summer sunblock with pumpkin spice quietly allowed the Eagles to battle Hofstra across a fall ball exhibition more critically important than anyone away from Brighton would have realized.Â
"The biggest thing is watching [our players] and how they go about their daily work," said pitching coach Nick Burdi. "We're watching how guys compete, how they show up on a day-to-day basis, what they're working on and how they did over the summer. Obviously I want to get my hands on [the job], and a lot of guys have a lot of say in understanding how players' arsenals are going to be different."
Burdi's addition highlights how offseason changes introduced a transitional shift after last year's success led to the departure of Ryan Forrest, the pitching coach that arrived when BC hired Todd Interdonato in 2023. The former pitching coach at Air Force helped build a staff that ranked among the 60 best pitching units in the nation in terms of earned run average, and his development with the arms unit led to breakout performances over the past three years before Princeton hired him to revive the fortunes of one of the nation's oldest programs.
In his place arrived Burdi, a former big leaguer and one of the most dominant arms of Louisville's late tenure in the Big East. He recorded 34 saves over a two-year period while the Cardinals transitioned through the conference's separation into the American Athletic Conference, and he struck out 127 hitters with a sub-1.00 ERA over just north of 70 innings during his sophomore and junior seasons. Louisville, in turn, went 101-31 over that time period and advanced to consecutive College World Series appearances while sweeping through both the regional and super regional rounds over that period.
Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the second round of the 2014 Major League Baseball entry draft, he quickly rose through the minors before enjoying time in the big leagues over a six-year span that included a stint with both the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. He formally retired in May before becoming a college coach, which led him to BC after briefly rejoining the Cardinals over the summer.
"When we celebrated with Ryan [and his family] on their new assignment to Princeton, we were looking for a coach who could continue to build on what Ryan had created for our pitching staff," said Interdonato in a September statement announcing Burdi's hire. "Our search was extensive, but Nick's passion for teaching and his belief in Birdball separated him to the rest of our coaching staff. His playing career, both at Louisville and professional baseball, speaks for itself, but his ability to connect with our players and his vision for each of them individually is why he is a part of Birdball."
Burdi's professional career was a testament to a gritty and determined approach to the game, and he conjoined high-level stuff with the fighter's mentality required from back-end bullpen pitchers. He repeatedly reconstructed his body and delivery after enduring injuries during his professional career, but the resultant deepening of the science of pitching offered a unique opportunity for the Eagles to build out their depth on the hill.
Saturday afternoon, for example, saw Brayden Ryan and Champ Davis throw consecutive scoreless innings against Hofstra, and Matt Kouser threw two scoreless innings as an opener before Ethan Marzo and Will Meehan each struck out two hitters across two combined innings of relief. Each brought unique mechanics, size and ability to a staff that's seeking to diversify its attack against opposing hitters by introducing different looks into different situations over the course of the fall months.
"We're looking to create the ground force for these guys," said Burdi about the fall ball performances. "We want to get them more stable in the weight room, and we want them to be better movers overall. At the end of the day, they're amateurs. They're still developing. They're still in that process of trying to become big leaguers. So this is a group that you almost have to pull the reins on them because they want to work. They want to be great. So we have to make sure that we're managing their workload [through the fall]. They understand what they need to do out there, but at the end of the day, getting these guys to become better movers off of the mound is our most important goal."
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