St. Monica Academy’s Barry gets top Independence honor
Beau Barry likes to be involved.
As catcher of the St. Monica Academy baseball team, there’s plenty for Barry to digest. The senior was in charge of handling the pitching rotation and supplying power near the top of the lineup.
Barry’s contributions proved to be huge for St. Monica, leading to him to be named the Independence League Most Valuable Player for the first time.
Barry, a senior, batted .534 with four home runs, eight doubles and 24 runs batted in. He added 15 stolen bases and scored 18 runs to help the Crusaders win the league championship. St. Monica finished 10-4, 6-0 in league and lost to Dominguez, 2-0, in a CIF Southern Section Division VII first-round contest.
“It really wasn’t a goal of mine to win the award, but it definitely does mean a lot to get it,” said Barry, a four-year starter. “I had to put in a lot of work to get to where I am now and I’m grateful that [St. Monica coach Phil Gleason] worked with me all of that time to keep improving.
“It comes down to work ethic and embracing all of the responsibilities you have during a game. It’s fun to work with the different pitchers and helping the team win.”
Gleason said Barry adapted to any responsibility given to him.
“Overall, I’m just so proud of the way Beau handled himself on the field,” Gleason said. “His desire to play the game is amazing and it’s showed throughout.
“He’s gotten everything he’s deserved and you like to see guys like him who are the first to practice and the last one to leave. I couldn’t be any happier with Beau being named the league MVP.”
Junior infielder Mark Golbranson and sophomore infielder/pitcher John Short were named to the first team.
Golbranson hit .414 with 10 doubles, four triples and 17 RBI. Golbranson contributed 23 runs and 28 stolen bases.
“He was a great lead-off hitter and a hitting machine,” Gleason said. “Mark is the kind of guy you want out there in that he’s a scrappy player with a solid work ethic.”
Short batted .408 with eight runs and 10 RBI. On the mound, the right-hander went 5-0 with a 1.26 earned-run average. He struck out 26 and walked six in 30 innings.
“John’s hitting came in spurts, but he pitched extremely well,” Gleason said. “He’s a big part of the team and I can see him being the ace of our staff next year.”
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
