In the first game of their season, Triton baseball’s Head Coach Jared Barker reached the milestone of 100 career wins.
The accomplishment came from a 7-3 win over Xavier back on April 5th.
After three innings, the Tritons only held a 2-1 lead, but after a few big hits in the fourth, including a three-run home run by senior Drew Siudzinski, they took a 7-1 lead and never looked back.
The Tritons’ pitching was dominant as well. Sophomore Ty Bumgardner earned himself the win by pitching five innings, striking out 10, and allowing only two hits, two walks and one earned run. Siudzinski also struck out three in two innings of relief for the Tritons.
Coach Barker has been coaching varsity baseball at NDA for 11 years, but this year is his 9th as the head coach.
Athletic Director Matt Koenig highlighted Coach Barker’s commitment and the continuous improvement in the program he has seen in his years here.
“We had three regional championships in the last three years. We’ve had a number of players that have gone on to play in college, and in the past couple of years we’ve been competing at a pretty good level,” Koenig explained.
When asked about the milestone, Barker turned the attention to his players.
“When I think of 100 wins it always comes back to the players that I have had the pleasure of coaching over the years. Many of them have reached out to me and that means more to me than the milestone. I like that this year’s group is loose, fun and ready to make their own mark on the program,” he said.
“Coach Barker hitting 100 is a pretty cool thing that I am glad to be a part of,” said catcher Miles Hunter, a junior. “The culture he has created on the team has really gotten him to this point, and we all were excited for him. The camaraderie with all the guys and the variety of guys that we have really allows us to bond and builds a great culture in the dugout. It allows us to play the game and have a lot of fun at the same time.”
The athletes complimented their coach on his role of teaching them to be leaders and the chemistry he has created in the group.
Bumgardner explained how Barker had an impact on him long before he made it to high school.
“My favorite memory with Coach Barker was when he allowed me to be the team’s bat boy for the season when I was in 4th grade. This helped me grow a bond and a connection with him since I was very young,” he described.
In his 11 years coaching here, Barker already has so many memories.
Top moments he mentioned included Avery Duncan stealing home in a sectional semi-final game, four walk-off wins in 22-23 season (two of them in the playoffs), Back-to-Back-to-Back Regional Championships (22, 23 & 24), Ty Yewman striking out 17 batters in the 2015 state semi-final game and the team’s spring trip to Louisville last year.
Barker is set on his goals for himself and his program moving forward.
“My goal is to bring a State Championship to Notre Dame Academy. It starts with building relationships with my players. Building trust and confidence in what they do will not only serve them well in baseball but beyond baseball as well. For the program, I put in a lot of hours with our Future Tritons Baseball Club. We try to get those young kids around the high school kids as much as possible. It allows the high school kids to be role models for the future of this program. These young kids are the future of Notre Dame Athletics, so continuing to grow the Futures program is one of my priorities.”
Now, towards the end of April, the team has a record of 7-1. This record is surprising for some after losing last year’s talented group of seniors. Despite this, the team is continuing to work hard with a few common goals.
“Our team’s goal is to get better every single day, so we can be good enough to win a state championship,” said Bumgradner.
“The team goal is obviously State, but we will take it one step and one game at a time,” added Hunter.
The Tritons will play Pulaksi on Tuesday before taking some time off during the NFL draft.
