In his sophomore season at Mercer this year Barker emerged as one of the most dependable right-handed pitchers in the Atlantic Sun Conference, racking up 57 strikeouts and a 3.47 ERA in 22 appearances for the Bears. As a freshman last year Barker established himself as a quality starter, posting a 4-0 record over 10 starts with a 3.38 ERA. In high school he led his Etowah High School Titans to consecutive regional championships. As a student Barker carried a perfect 4.0 GPA throughout high school and plans to obtain a degree in engineering at Mercer.