Yorktown’s Pitcher Cole Barr throws to Delta during the county championship game Tuesday evening.Yorktown managed to beat Delta 13-7.
Yorktown’s Cole Barr rounds the bases after a line drive during the championship game against Delta Tuesday evening.Yorktown managed to beat Delta 13-7.
Cole Barrr, left, gave a verbal commitment to Indiana University.
Cole Barr still has two years of high school left, but he already knows where he’ll be going after graduation.
Just a few days before the Yorktown baseball player begins his junior year, he made a verbal commitment to Indiana University to continue his career on the diamond. The middle infielder called IU recruiting coordinator Kyle Cheesebrough on Saturday night to inform him of his decision.
Barr visited the Bloomington campus last Tuesday and picked up the scholarship offer that same day. He also had offers from Ball State, Penn State and Kent State.
“I’ve checked out a lot of places,” Barr said Sunday night, “but when I got done visiting IU, it just felt right, and that’s where I wanted to go.
“I don’t know, I just really liked it. I visited those three other schools and this just felt right.”
Barr hit .427 as a sophomore with five home runs, 13 doubles and 21 RBIs out of the leadoff spot for the Tigers, who now boast five Division-I players from a squad which went 24-5 last season and won a sectional title.
Yorktown coach Mike Larrabee said Barr, who also pitches for the Tigers, received a lot of attention during the high school season, and that only increased this summer while playing for the Indiana Prospects.
“He has a lot of skills,” Larrabee said. “Obviously he can hit ball really well, picks it up well, and then he has the speed package – kind of a five-tool guy. I think that’s what makes valuable to college coaches; they can see him getting on base and wreaking havoc. That’s one of the big things, just having the combination of all those skills.”
A second baseman with Indiana State signee Clay Dungan entrenched at shortstop, Barr would figure to slide over to shortstop (his natural position and where he played much of the summer), though Larrabee said it’s too early to make those decisions.
Barr will join a program that has risen to the top of the Big 10, going 128-55 over the last three seasons – a stretch that includes three NCAA Tournament berths, two years hosting a regional and one College World Series appearance. He understands he has his work cut out for him.
“Nothing is given to you,” Barr said. “You always have to work for it, but hopefully I’ll have a good opportunity to play short, second or really anywhere. I just want to play.”
If Barr happens to play an in-state school in college, chances are that he’ll be playing one of his former teammates. Jacob Preston (Purdue), Clay Dungan (Indiana State) and Nathan Phillips (IPFW) start college in the fall, while rising senior Jake Clawson recently committed to Ball State.
Barr will also be suiting up for the Tigers on the gridiron this fall after sitting out his sophomore season. He will play wide receiver and safety.
“I missed it,” he said of the decision to play a sport he played through middle school and his freshman year. “I’m too competitive to be in the stands.”
Contact sports features writer Ryan O’Gara at (765) 213-5829. Follow him on Twitter @RyanOGaraTSP.