Barton's Curry doubles up weekly pitching honors, earns conference and national recognition #GoBarton

Zach Curry of the Barton Community College baseball team has been named not just the KJCCC Kansas MTXE Division I Baseball Pitcher of the Week, but has also earned week thirteen's national honor in being named the NJCAA recipient. The honor joins the consecutive weekly conference awards of sophomore hurler Josh Hendrickson earlier in the season and Kaden Fowler's week five award.

With a 24-year drought on the line, the freshman from Ottawa, Kansas, hurled a two-hit twelve strikeout performance this past Saturday versus Butler in clinching Barton's first Jayhawk West title since 1994. Curry kept Butler completely out of the game, sending the Grizzlies down in order four straight innings before a leadoff fifth inning single broke up the perfect game no-no. A two-out base hit in the same inning would be the final runner aboard as Curry ended the threat with his then ninth strikeout. Surrendering just the two base hits, Curry went the distance improving to 6-0 on the year in facing just two batters over the minimum finishing with a career high twelve strikeouts and incredible command of no wild pitches nor walks.

Despite the Jayhawk West title at 23-9 and 40-12 on the season, Barton dropped out of the latest NJCAA Division I polls but is still receiving votes. Next up for the region's second seeded Cougars is hosting a best-of-three series in the first round of the Region VI playoffs beginning Friday against Allen County Community College, seeded 15th in concluding the regular season eighth in the East Division at 14-22 and 25-25 overall. Game times at Lawson-Biggs Field are set at 3:00 p.m. Friday with 1:00 p.m. scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free with full coverage of local/web radio 107.9FM, live stats, and live video/audio web streaming links found at www.BartonSports.com.