Indiana's Cole Barr Getting Faster and Stronger This Offseason

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Cole Barr felt like he was just getting into a rhythm.

The Hoosiers were 9-6 on the season and fresh off a 6-2 win over Cincinnati. Barr had two homers and nine RBI through the first 15 games, but then the season was cancelled due to COVID-19.

“I was in a little bit of disbelief. Then a couple days later, I just felt it was taken away. You spent all this time with your teammates and all this work,” Barr said. “It was pretty tough, but you just gotta move on and do what you can and be ready whenever your name was called.”

That’s exactly the mentality Barr has taken into this extended offseason. He’s been fortunate enough to participate in the College Summer League at Grand Park, a league that features top players from the Midwest, but mostly from Indiana.

Barr, from Yorktown, Ind., plays for the A-Team, which also features Indiana teammates Cooper Trinkle, Grant Richardson and Zach Behrmann. The A-Team is currently 11-4-4 on the season, which is good enough for second place in the league.

As much as Barr has enjoyed being able to continue playing baseball this summer, he has also enjoyed the time he’s been able to spend at home that he normally wouldn’t get to.

Barr loves to go fishing, and that’s been a popular activity he’s been doing over the summer.

“I haven’t been able to do that,” Barr said on fishing. “I’ve been enjoying my time being around my brothers and my family. I wouldn’t really get to spend as much time there.”

As far improving his game, Barr has used this offseason to get stronger and faster. His squats and dead-lifts this offseason were definitely evident in Thursday night’s All-Star game, where Barr ripped a hit into right-center field and took off around the diamond for a triple that scored three runs.

As soon as the ball left his bat, Barr said he was thinking about going three bases. It’s a testament to his commitment to stay in shape during a time where he hasn’t been around many of his teammates or had scheduled practices.

“That’s the biggest thing,” Barr said. “I definitely think I’ve gotten stronger. I’ve gotten faster.”

Overall, Barr has enjoyed his experience this summer, being able to play locally and not having to travel 10 hours to compete.

“It’s fun. You take what you can get,” Barr said. “Being able to play baseball against all your friends, people you grew up, maybe some teammates, is pretty fun.”

There’s still half the season to go for Barr and Team-A. Because they are the second-best team in the league, Barr will be back at Victory Field next Thursday for a game against the Snapping Turtles, who are the third-place team at 8-5-4. Kip Fougerousse is the lone Hoosier on the Snapping Turtles.

Even though Barr’s rhythm was interrupted in March while playing for the Hoosiers, his “always stay ready” mentality has helped him stay on top of his game during the summer.

“Baseball is one of those games where it takes a lot of at-bats, a lot of games to get into the swing of things, and it got taken,” Barr said. “But it is what it is, just gotta stay ready.”

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