Fresh off a weekend five game sweep, the Barton Community College baseball team is ranked No. 16 in the first regular season NJCAA Division I national poll recently released.  Barton’s 12-1 start is also the best start since the 2006 season when the Cougars started 7-1.  Barton will get its stiffest test of the early season as they travel to Hutchinson for a four game series with Hutchinson Community College.  First pitch for Friday’s nine inning game will begin at 4:00 p.m. at Hutchinson’s Bud Detter Field.  The two teams will return to the diamond at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday for a seven inning doubleheader and then wrap up the series with a nine inning game at 1:00 p.m. Sunday.

Barton started the season with four games in Odessa, Texas, where the Cougars went 3-1.  Two wins came against West Texas College and then Barton split games with host Odessa College.  Barton then returned home to sweep a three game series with McCook Community College.  After a midweek win over Bethany College Junior Varsity, the Cougars hosted Western Nebraska Community College in a five game series this past weekend in which Barton won all five. 

In addition to Barton’s entry into the national poll, the Cougar’s shortstop Federico Castagnini was named the KJCCC Verizon Wireless Player of the Week.  Castagnini, a sophomore from Verona, Italy, batted .526 for the week, had a .667 on base percentage, scored 11 runs, and drove in another 11 runs in helping to lead Barton to a perfect 6-0 week. The Creighton University signee is batting .537 with twenty-one runs batted in and has crossed the plate nineteen times in leading Barton in almost every major statistical category. 

Released:  February 29, 2012

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