Barr, a pitcher/infielder/outfielder from Columbus, Ohio, posted a 6-3 record with a 1.84 ERA on the mound at Bishop Hartley High School as a senior this spring. In 57 innings of work, the right-hander struck out 54 batters and issued just 23 walks while tossing four complete games. He also posted a .425 batting average with four doubles, two triples, four home runs, 28 runs scored, and 21 RBI. For his efforts, Barr was named to the All-Conference First Team for the third straight year and the All-District Second Team for the second time. He was also an All-Ohio Honorable Mention pick as a junior and received the Hawk Award from his team as a senior.

“Kyle is someone who we feel has his best baseball ahead of him,” said MVNU head coach Keith Veale, who has posted a 641-310 record in 19 seasons at the helm of the Cougars. “He throws the ball down in the zone with movement. He is not a power guy, but he has enough velocity to get outs. We see him as a ground-ball pitcher who can gobble up innings. He has won at the high school level and we look for that to continue here. We also like Kyle’s enthusiasm for the game, and his teachable attitude will assist him in his development on the mound.”

In addition to playing baseball at Bishop Hartley, Barr played four summers of baseball on an American Legion team from 2004-2007 and then spent this past summer playing for the Columbus Hawks.

“There are several reasons why I chose MVNU,” said Barr of his college choice. “MVNU was highly recommended to me by my fall coach and the head coach of the Columbus Hawks. It is a small college that offers my major and has a good baseball program.”

MVNU is an NAIA school that competes in the American Mideast Conference. The Cougars posted a 39-21 overall record in 2008 and captured the program’s sixth National Christian College Athletic Association national title. The team also advanced to the NAIA Region IX Tournament championship game for the ninth straight year. Over the years, MVNU has had 13 players drafted by Major League teams including Tim Belcher, who was the top pick overall in the 1983 draft. Seven other former players have signed free agent contracts to play professional baseball.