Carter Burnette is emerging as Western Carolina’s strikeout-heavy weekend arm
In the 2026 season, the 6-foot-5 sophomore right-hander has flashed real swing-and-miss stuff for Western Carolina, including a team-high 33 strikeouts through 27.0 innings and a 10-K shutout gem on March 13 plus a career-high 12-strikeout complete game on May 14.[2][3][10] He’s the kind of starter you want if you value competitive fire, length, and bat-missing upside; his path still shows some volatility, but the stuff is loud, the workload has grown, and he’s already earned SoCon Pitcher of the Week honors.[2][3]
