{"id":10435,"date":"2020-06-10T14:04:51","date_gmt":"2020-06-10T19:04:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/st-cloud-rox\/?p=10435"},"modified":"2020-06-10T14:05:33","modified_gmt":"2020-06-10T19:05:33","slug":"barth-set-to-pick-up-where-he-left-off-in-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/st-cloud-rox\/2020\/06\/10\/barth-set-to-pick-up-where-he-left-off-in-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Barth Set to Pick Up Where He Left Off in 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wherever Jordan Barth has gone, he has proven to be a winner.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From becoming a World Champion in racquetball to winning a National Championship in baseball at Augustana University, he helped bring a championship mindset to the St. Cloud Rox in 2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the most accomplished players in franchise history, Barth looks to bring even more accolades to St. Cloud as he returns for a second consecutive year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Before Baseball, There Was Racquetball\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Barth has always been known for being a dynamic dual-sport athlete, dating back to playing racquetball when he was a kid. By the age of ten, he was competing at the Lewis Drug Pro-Am, a USA Racquetball Tournament in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Barth would go on to compete internationally and claim three world titles in the sport.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By the age of 14, he claimed a Gold Medal in the Boys 14 Singles at the IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships in Colombia. The Cold Spring, Minnesota native had made a name for himself across the globe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite baseball being his primary focus, Barth is still ranked No. 43 in the country in racquetball singles as of March 31. He\u2019s 29-4 in his last 33 matches and is currently No. 3 in the Minnesota singles rankings. According to USA Racquetball\u2019s website, Barth\u2019s skill percentage ranks in the 99th percentile of singles.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, as talented as Barth is at racquetball, that didn\u2019t stop him from playing baseball, the other sport that he loves.<\/span><\/p>\n

After being a three-year varsity starter, Barth hit .415 in his final season and drove in 26 runs at Rocori High School. His biggest statistical improvement was from his sophomore to junior year, where his batting average jumped from .290 to .416. He led Rocori to a Minnesota State Baseball appearance and collected numerous awards, including an All-State nomination. This led the racquetball and baseball standout to select Augustana University as his college destination.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I [started] talking to his high school coach (Jeff Illies) about him, we were talking just about his baseball,\u201d Augustana coach Tim Huber said in a 2017 <\/span>conversation<\/span><\/a> with Mick Garry of the Argus Leader. \u201cThen he said, \u2018I don\u2019t know if you\u2019ve heard but he\u2019s one of the top racquetball players in the world in his age group.\u2019 I\u2019m like, \u2018What?\u2019 He\u2019s got really good hands in the field and good hands at the plate. … I think a lot of that comes from his racquetball.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Division-II program in Sioux Falls, South Dakota quickly became a place where Barth could make an impact.<\/span><\/p>\n

From Rocori HS to Augustana University<\/b><\/p>\n

The transition from high school to collegiate athletics can be one of the most difficult adjustments a student-athlete can make. Players might go from being the top athlete in their school or city to a situation where they might not play at all in year one. This was not the case for Barth, who became a key contributor to the 2018 Augustana Vikings squad that turned into one of the best baseball teams in program history.<\/span><\/p>\n

In his freshman season in 2018, the Vikings won its first 12 games of the season and established itself as one of the best teams in the NSIC. The school won a program-best 59 games and claimed its first-ever National Championship.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just amazing,\u201d Barth said. \u201cFrom a team that didn\u2019t really know how good we were going to be, to getting hot at the right time and making a run and winning the whole thing, it was an awesome experience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Barth was a key contributor to the success of that team, hitting .362 and starting all 59 games. He drove in 61 runs, had 221 at-bats (3rd most in a single-season at Augustana University) and recorded 384 putouts, the most ever in a single-season. His record-breaking numbers helped Barth win the coveted NSIC Freshman of the Year Award. In the NSIC tournament, his contributions were so great that he was awarded All-Tournament Team MVP as a freshman.<\/span><\/p>\n

Following the National Championship, Barth found a way to contribute at a higher level. In the spring of 2019, the sophomore was named an NCBWA Third-Team All-American after hitting .422 and recording 65 hits, despite missing 19 games due to an injury.<\/span><\/p>\n

From World Championships in racquetball to a National Championships in baseball, Barth was ready to seize his next opportunity when he arrived in St. Cloud in the summer of 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

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@barthjordan1<\/a> is good at hitting<\/p>\n

He's also good at fielding<\/p>\n

He's just good in general #SCtop10<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/N1mdpg6SF4<\/a><\/p>\n

— St. Cloud Rox (@StCloudRox) August 4, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n