Betts: 'This is my place;' Bucknam finds his fit at Dallas Baptist

Abbotsford Cardinals alum Micah Bucknam (Abbotsford, B.C.) has found his “place” as the No. 1 starter for the Dallas Baptist Patriots. Photo: Dallas Baptist Athletics

March 4, 2025

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

Thursday, April 6, 2023 is a day of Micah Bucknam’s career he’ll never forget.

His then No. 1 LSU Tigers were on the road to face the No. 6 South Carolina Gamecocks in Southeastern Conference play.

With the Tigers trailing 3-1 in the fifth inning, Bucknam was summoned from the bullpen.

As a freshman on a team with College World Series aspirations, the fact head coach Jay Johnson trusted him in an SEC game between two ranked teams showed just how highly he was regarded.

But in the blink of an eye, in what also seemed like an eternity, Bucknam felt like his career was crashing down.

His final line: six earned runs on three hits and a walk over an inning of work.

“I walked out there and I was so terrified,” Bucknam said.

“At the moment, I remember thinking to myself this is terrible and this is the worst thing. How could this be good for me? How could the Lord be using this for good?”

Of course, one outing never defines a pitcher and it won’t even likely be remembered by anyone but Bucknam himself.

More important than the final score, a 13-5 South Carolina win in a game that was started by Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, was the lesson Bucknam took from that day.

“Having to face adversity at that moment has ultimately helped me be a better player,” he said.

“I know I’m going to go out there, give it my all and compete with everything I have.”

Anyone who’s followed his career knows there’s been far more good than bad.

Bucknam was selected in the 16th round by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft. He committed to the University of Washington out of high school before eventually landing at LSU where they would win the 2023 College World Series, making that forgettable outing even more of a buried footnote.

In two seasons at LSU, he made 16 appearances, totaling 16 innings. For a BC-born player in the bayou at a college baseball powerhouse, it would’ve been an impressive career if it ended there.

Bucknam, however, knew he had more to give and could be a bigger part of a winning team.

So, after the 2024 season he decided to make the decision to enter the NCAA transfer portal.

The portal can be a precarious place, with thousands of players vying for new jobs on different teams. But for a guy with Bucknam’s resume and repertoire, it can be more of a frenzy.

“The portal is a crazy experience,” he said.

“If you go to a big school and you enter your name in the portal, you’re going to get a million calls. Sometimes you tend to doubt yourself and then you get in there and people think you’re actually pretty good at baseball.”

One of those calls came from Dallas Baptist University.

And the Patriots fit exactly what Bucknam was looking for. Development, an instantly strong relationship with pitching coach Cale Johnson, the opportunity to be a significant contributor and the chance to win were all high on his list.

“When he (Johnson) sat me down and I went through their development process, that’s what DBU is known for,” he said.

“I was like ‘this is my place.’ As I’ve come here, it’s been evident to see. My velo has jumped, I have a gyro slider they gave me that’s 88, 89 miles per hour.”

The Patriots are no slouch when it comes to swinging with the heavyweights in Division I, either. Currently ranked No. 21 in the country, they’ve made a regional every year since 2014, aside from the COVID cancelled 2020 season, are coming off a Conference USA championship and played in the Super Regional in 2021.

As for Bucknam, he’s their Game 1 starter and is currently 1-0 with a 5.97 ERA and 24 strikeouts over 15 1/3 innings.

Regardless of where his career is headed, he’s thankful for the experiences he’s had and the lessons he’s learned along the way.

The journey has taught him development is never linear and even the best can lose their way from time to time.

“One of the biggest things I learned when I was at LSU and being around guys who were ultimately first rounders was realizing they doubt themselves too,” Bucknam said.

“How do I learn to win my mind? It’s about giving the strong voice the last word.”