Matt Barefoot, Kyle Hawley, and Ryan Lee have played baseball together for their entire lives. This summer, just after graduating and completing their playing days at Midway High School, the three are still able to compete together at a high level in Legion Baseball.
The three play together for the Garner Nationals. On Sunday, the team played a game at East Wake High School in which they won 14-12 over Post 1, a Legion team from Raleigh. With the baseball flying all over the yard, Barefoot and Hawley got in on the action.
Hawley contributed with a pair of hits to help his team’s cause. Barefoot, well he had a day to remember.
The Campbell University signee went 4-5 with a pair of doubles and a pair of home-runs as well. His stock continues to rise as he enters his freshman campaign as a Camel, as he continues to improve, each and every day.
Barefoot found himself on the MLB draft list this past year, which came as a surprise to even him. He admitted that seeing his name on the list, even though he didn’t get drafted, was motivation to work harder and get better. Well, the hard work showed on Sunday afternoon.
“It was obviously a high-scoring game, a lot of people were hitting the ball well,” said Barefoot. “We were able to hit six homers as a team, and Kyle had two hits. It was nice to be able to be such a big part of the win and to be swinging the bat so well,” he continued.
Teammate Ryan Lee wasn’t surprised with the performance, saying, “That’s really impressive, but it’s not surprising coming from Matt. He has unlimited potential and as hard as he works, he can make these type of performances routine.”
The pitching that Barefoot and his teammates face in Legion ball are other collegiate level pitchers. This is provides he and Hawley, who recently signed with Pitt Community, a chance to face high-level competition and stay sharp.
As for playing with Lee and Hawley, Barefoot said, “They are like my brothers. I cherish every game that I get to play with them.”