March 28, 2024

Newton’s Barr signs to play Mount Mercy baseball

Baseball has been a part of his life since he was 6 or 7 years old but it wasn’t until his freshman year at Newton High, Ryan Barr decided he was a baseball player.

It was the sport he was going to work hard to be able to play at the collegiate level. The Newton High senior made his decision and made it official on Wednesday.

“I’ve always found baseball super fun and enjoyable. I like the challenge of the sport,” Barr said. “Everybody has to do his part and it’s tough if you make a mistake because it really shows up. I like the pressure.”

On Wednesday, Barr signed to play baseball next year for Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids. The Mustangs just finished 29-23 under fifth-year head coach Jack Dahm. They went 16-14 in the Heart of American Athletic Conference.

Mount Mercy is an NAIA program. Barr said Dahm was developing a good program at Mount Mercy and he is excited to have the opportunity to be apart of the Mustang program.

“I really liked the coaching staff and the coaches are nice and told me they were ready to work with me to improve my game,” Barr said of his choice of Mount Mercy. “It was good to hear coaches say they were interested in coaching you up.”

Barr said he is going to be a pitcher for the Mustangs. Mount Mercy’s pitching coach is Brian Miller.

Barr, who suffered a torn ACL in his knee during football season last fall, is coming off surgery and physical therapy as he gets his senior season of Newton High Cardinal baseball underway this week. He said it has been a long process and he’s not all the way back.

“I’ve lost some velocity on my pitches but with more work that will come. The Mount Mercy coaches know what I’ve been through and still want me to be a part of their program. It really made my decision easier to go there,” Barr said.

Barr earned Little Hawkeye Conference honorable mention honors in 2018. Barr pitched, and played in the infield and behind the plate for Newton. On the Cardinals’ 11-21 team in 2018, Barr finished 2-3 on the mound overall for Newton with a 2.63 ERA.

As a sophomore, he was 3-3 pitching with a 2.92 ERA. He walked 21, gave up 39 hits and 27 runs and struck out 25 in 38 1/3 innings of work.

During his junior season, he finished with a .256 batting average. He led the team with seven doubles and 15 RBIs. As a freshman, sophomore and junior, Barr also played in the infield and was a catcher for the Cardinals.

“I’ve changed my throwing motion a little using my back leg more into the motion,” Barr said. “I’m working on getting back to throwing as hard as I was last year, consistently at 81 (mph). I like throwing the fastball pitch but I also have a pretty good curve ball.”

Going into the Mustang program, Barr said he is looking to fill whatever role the coaches want him to and he believes he can eventually help as a leader for the team.

Barr plans to pursue a degree in elementary education with an emphasis on history. He is the son of Jody and Dale Barr of Newton.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535 or jsheets@newtondailynews.com