Robert Barry will try to help the NECC Knights Baseball team make it to their fifth consecutive NJCAA World Series appearance this spring. Last year’s team finished with a record of 28-4, including a perfect 13-0 record against their conference.
The journey has already begun, as the team started practicing on Feb. 1. The first game of the season is March 13, when the Knights will take on Herkimer College at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational, which will also be the kickoff to their beginning-of-the-season Florida trip.
Barry has been playing baseball all his life, starting when he was 4 years old playing T-ball. He credits his brothers and his dad for influencing him to start playing the sport. Barry, a second year Liberal Arts major, has just started his second year with the Knights ball club. A starting pitcher standing 6 feet tall, he wears number 13 on the diamond.
Barry is coming off a strong first season with the Knights, finishing with a personal record of 3-0 in six relief appearances, as well as starting one game. The right hander logged a total of 22.1 innings and had a respectable ERA of 4.43.
As far as personal goals for the season, Barry said, “I want to try and keep my ERA low, and limit the runs allowed so the team has a chance to win.” The team goal, according to Barry, is to make it to the World Series.
John Sirois is an outfielder for the Knights. Sirois and Barry have been teammates on the diamond since high school. Sirois had this to say about Barry, “I don’t know too many people that can throw the ball like he can. He throws the ball hard but I think his curveball is his money pitch.”
Sirois added that he trusts Barry on the mound, and that Barry trusts him in the field, which helps make the duo from Pentucket High School so successful.
Dave Brindamour, an infielder on this years team, had this to say about Barry: “He’s a great teammate. He’s always picking his teammates up through the good and the bad.” Brindamour and Barry have been teammates for five years.
Barry credits his parents for helping him become a collegiate athlete.
“I was thinking about quitting baseball once I got to high school,” he said. “My parents kept pushing me to keep playing, and I’ve never thought about quitting since.”
The proudest moment of Barry’s athletic career so far was beating the previously-undefeated North Reading High School Hockey team while playing hockey for Pentucket Regional High School.
When not on the diamond, Barry finds himself keeping busy. He is taking five courses this semester, and also works part time as a janitor. Barry estimates he spends around 12-15 hours a week on academics, another 12-15 dedicated to baseball and another 15 at his job.
Barry is looking to transfer to a four-year university and continue to play baseball. When the time comes to hang up his cleats, Barry says he would love to find a way to stay involved in baseball somehow.
