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Q&A with Concordia commit Justin Barney

December 11, 2013

By Steve Nielsen
Scouting Director – Illinois/Wisconsin

Justin Barney (Westosha Central, 2014) recently made his college commitment to Concordia in Mequon. Barney is a left handed hitting outfielder with a smooth repeatable stroke. Barney recently explained to us how his decision came about and what went into his recruiting process.

PBR: What were your expectations about the recruiting process? Was it as expected? Easy/Difficult?

Barney: I expected the recruiting process to be long and tedious but it really turned out to be quite easy, within a couple phone calls and a visit I knew where I wanted to go.

PBR: When did the recruiting process really start to heat up for you? Was there a particular game or event that you feel turned the corner for you?

Barney: There was the game in the fall where Concordia saw me play. I had one of my better games of the fall that day. If I hadn’t have played well that day I don’t think Concordia would have been interested.

PBR: What were you looking for out of a college program to continue your baseball career at?

Barney: First and foremost, I wanted a place that I knew I would get a quality education and a place that I felt at home. Also, a place where the coaches had a good mentality and that I knew I’d get along with. I believe Concordia will give me all of those things.

PBR: Did location or distance from home play a factor in your decision?

Barney: Location did play a factor, I wanted somewhere moderately close to home and somewhere I wouldn’t be too far away to visit my family regularly.

PBR: Where did Concordia first see you? How did your relationship develop with them?

Barney: They first saw me at a weekend game for my fall league and from there they began talking to me and a friend of mine, we both had good days that day.

PBR: What do you like most about Concordia and what were the key factors in making your decision?

Barney: Right when I stepped on the campus at Concordia, I felt at home. The campus and the city of Mequon are beautiful; the surrounding area is awesome, being 15 minutes away from Milwaukee. Also, the coaching staff at Concordia shares the same mentality as me and they’re really nice guys. I knew right away I couldn’t go wrong with picking Concordia.

PBR: At what point in your career did you realize you were a college caliber player and became serious about taking your game to the next level?

Barney: I got serious when I began to play on better teams where I played in front of a lot of scouts. Also when you have a lot of teammates around you getting recruited it makes you want to be better and get to where they’re at.

PBR: What is your best attribute as a baseball player and how does that transfer onto the field for your team?

Barney: I think my best attribute is that I try my best not to let the moment take over my actions, it doesn’t always work but it’s good for your teammates to see that if something goes wrong you’re not just going to give up.

PBR: What advice would you give to young baseball players striving to get where you are?

Barney: Be proactive with what you’re doing, the recruiting process especially. If you see something you want, don’t stop working until you get it. Unfortunately, that mentality became apparent to me a little late, but I know if it did I would be a much better baseball player.

PBR: What do you do in the offseason to keep yourself in baseball shape and prepare for the upcoming season?

Barney: I’m in the gym every other day and I play ice hockey, so that keeps me in shape and keeps my cardio up. I also have a batting cage in my basement so I can go down there and take some swings whenever I want.

PBR: Preview your high school season for us. How do you feel Westosha Central will be? What are your expectations and goals?

Barney: My high school team will be pretty good this year. The only issue I could see us running into is pitching. Other than that we have the meat of our order coming back from last year, and defense shouldn’t be problem. I’m very excited for this season to start. 

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