Barker is Back as Baseball Assistant Coach
8/24/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
HOUSTON -- Houston Baseball welcomed back First Team All-Conference catcher Caleb Barker ('14) to the program, as he rounds out the coaching staff as an assistant, announced by seventh-year head coach Todd Whitting Wednesday.
In this role, Barker will coach the catchers and assist with the hitters.
"Caleb is a tremendous young coach who will bring great energy and knowledge to our program," Whitting said. "He was an integral part of our Baton Rouge Regional Championship team in 2014, which helped elevate our program on a national level. Caleb was a great leader on that squad and understands the culture and expectation level we have set for Houston Baseball."
Barker joins the Houston Baseball coaching staff of Whitting, Trip Couch and Frank Anderson after spending the 2016 season as an assistant coach at Grayson County College. At Grayson, Barker helped lead the Vikings to a 42-15 overall record, a Conference Runner-Up nod and a Region V qualifier.
Under Barker's guidance, Grayson CC hit .354 as a team and slugged .551 with 59 home runs and catcher Raymond Henderson was selected by the Houston Astros in the 22nd Round of the 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
A 2014 graduate of the University of Houston, Barker earned his degree in organizational leadership and supervision with a minor in health and was a two-year letterwinner for the Cougars in 2013 and 2014 after spending his first two collegiate seasons at Grayson CC.
Barker was a 2014 First Team All-American Athletic Conference honoree and helped the Cougars to a Baton Rouge Regional Championship title and its first Conference Championship since 2008.
As the starting catcher, Barker appeared in 65 games and started 62 in 2014. He was rock-solid behind the plate, fielding .996 with just two errors and threw out 30 runners attempting to steal.
He was a bright spot in the Cougar lineup during the postseason, tallying six hits in NCAA play and drove in two key RBI in a come-from-behind win over LSU.
Barker was a two-time Johnny Bench Award Watch List honoree and was named to the Conference All-Academic Team, while earning a prestigious C-USA Academic Medal in 2013.
The Keller, Texas native is a graduate of Keller High School.
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