TAYLORSVILLE, Utah- After a finishing up his sophomore season with a 3-3 record and an impressive 2.12 ERA, Joe Barlow has been drafted in the 11^th round as pick #339 for the Texas Rangers. It comes as no surprise that Joe has been taken in the draft with his stellar 2.12 ERA and his searing 96 mph fastball. Barlow only allowed 24 hits, 15 runs (11 earned), in 46.2 innings while retiring 51 batters on the season with two complete games and two saves.

Though Barlow primarily pitched for the Bruins he also rotated at catcher and batted .208 with 15 hits on 72 at bats with 14 RBI's. Joe also had six doubles and a triple proving that he can be a force to reckon with whether there's a ball or bat in his hands.

"I am extremely excited, this has been my dream since I was five years old playing Little League baseball," said Barlow. "I got a call that Saturday early in the morning that the Texas Rangers were interested in drafting me. Later that day I heard my name called on the TV. It was pretty crazy. When I heard my name called I was very happy, I was basically speechless because I realized how blessed I was."

Alongside Barlow in the 2016 draft are two SLCC alumni Eric Carter and Taylor Snyder. Taylor Snyder who played for Salt Lake 2014-2015 later transferred to Colorado State University-Pueblo was selected in the 13^th round as the 380^th pick for the Colorado Rockies.  Eric Carter who pitched for SLCC in 2011 and 2013, transferred to Louisiana Lafayette after his time with the Bruins, was picked up by the Cardinals in the 26^th round as the #796 pick.

"I really want to thank Coach DG, Coach Waddoups, Coach Tuck and Coach Berg for preparing me for this moment," Barlow continued. "They teach you to be mentally strong and you definitely need to be mentally strong to play professional sports." 

We wish our players the best of luck while they pursue their dreams to play in the Major Leagues.