2008: Brandon pitched in a team-high 26 games, including four of the six postseason contests… also led the team in ERA and batting average against… was the winning pitcher in the OVC Tournament championship game against Southeast Missouri… was also the winning pitcher in EIU’s first victory of the season, against Vermont on the spring break trip… led the nation with a 0.72 ERA the week of April 21-27… tough on right-handed hitters (.192, 25-for-130) and with two outs (.229, 16-for-70)… averaged 7 ½ strikeouts per nine innings… posted both of his saves in OVC play… gave up only three extra-base hits in 22 1/3 innings at home… did not give up an earned while pitching in eight of EIU’s 15 neutral-site games, registering a .136 batting average against… led the staff with a 2-1 record and 1.10 ERA in March… followed that up with a 1.33 ERA and .157 batting average against in April… did not give up a run in 5 1/3 innings over three appearances during the spring break trip… did not give an earned run over 17 1/3 innings while pitching in seven of EIU’s 11 midweek games… after pitching two innings of scoreless relief against nationally-ranked Missouri on April 22, had only allowed three earned runs over 37 1/3 innings to begin the season… pitched at least two innings over a stretch of 13 consecutive relief appearances… worked 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the victory in the OVC opener against Morehead State, which EIU won in walk-off fashion… closed out the opening games of the Tennessee-Martin and Murray State series on consecutive Saturdays with three innings of relief to earn saves... Top 10 OVC Rankings: second in batting average against, fourth in ERA and sixth in appearances… Top 100 National Rankings: 28th in fewest hits allowed per nine innings and 35th in ERA.
2007: Brandon pitched in a team-high 21 games, starting four times… ranked second on the team in wins and third in ERA and innings pitched… surrendered just eight extra-base hits, including only two home runs, in 42 innings… was tough on opposing hitters with runners on (.258) and allowed a leadoff batter to reach just 26 percent of the time… was at his best in May, posting a 2-1 record and 2.25 ERA while striking out 13 in six appearances… surrendered just two earned runs and one extra-base hit in 15 2/3 innings at home… posted all three of his victories in true road games… pitched well (2.89 ERA, 13 Ks) in post-spring break midweek action… allowed just one run over a five-appearance stretch in March… tossed an inning and two-thirds of scoreless relief to earn his first win as a Panther in the comeback victory at Indiana State… did not allow a run in his first nine innings of relief in May… struck out four in four innings of one-hit ball in his victory at Chicago State… came back that weekend with 2 1/3 innings of hitless relief in the Eastern Kentucky series… three of the four outs he recorded against Northern Illinois were via the strikeout… earned a win in relief in the opening game of the Morehead State series.
JUNIOR COLLEGE/HIGH SCHOOL: Brandon played the last two seasons for former EIU assistant coach Mitch Rosenthal at Parkland College… Parkland finished second at the 2005 NJCAA World Series… lettered in baseball and basketball at Danville High school, pitching for coach Gary Gritton… First Team All-Big 12 Conference and honorable mention All-Big 12 as an upperclassman… played for the Lacrosse Loggers of the Northwoods League of Wisconsin and Minnesota in the summer of 2006.
PERSONAL: No. 1 sports highlight was "traveling to Millington, Tennessee for the Junior College World Series"… his god father Vince has been a major influence on his sports career because "he instilled in me the love, the respect and the integrity needed to enjoy the game of baseball"… most admires Albert Pujols because "he works hard at everything he does and even though he is the best in the game he doesn’t run his mouth to show it"… enjoys traveling and reading… son of Shelia Burton… MAJOR: Psychology.
