Of course, he’s one of the best high school baseball coaches in the state, as evidenced by leading his Bearcats teams to two state championships, including the 2025 title.
But he’s just a dadgum good guy. He’s the kind of guy who cares about other folks — especially his players, current and former.
And those who know him — well, aside from those coaching his competition, of course — are happy he is once again a state champion. It moves him into an elite group of coaches with multiple state titles.
The Bearcats have now been to four state tournaments, three under the coaching of Barry. Eleven years to the day before this season’s title, they won the 2014 championship, setting the club record of 34 wins that this year’s Bearcats tied.
They returned to state in 2015, falling in the semifinals.
Their other trip to state was in 1980.
But Barry’s coaching record shouldn’t be judged by only his state championships. Did I say he now has two?
If you look at the Bearcats since Barry took the helm in 2012, they are one of the most consistent programs in the state. They have never finished lower than third in district (and have only done that twice) and regularly advance deep in the postseason.
Ironically, when they first won state in 2014 they were not district champions, one of the very few times that has happened under Barry. This season’s run to the title not only included a district championship, but also their first perfect league run (10-0) with Barry.
Along with his trips to state, Barry’s teams came close in 2021 and 2022, reaching the regional finals each season.
In fact, it was after the final game of the 2022 season, a regional finals loss to Mansfield Legacy in the third game of their best-of-three series that Barry did something simply amazing. In the midst of one of the most heartbreaking scenarios imaginable for a coach and his team, he and the Bearcats stood tall.
Legacy overcame a 9-1 deficit by scoring a dozen runs in the top of the seventh inning en route to a 13-9 victory. Even the Broncos and their fans were stunned.
While some — perhaps even many — coaches would have dodged the media (and honestly, in that case I’m not sure I’d blame them), Barry stood and answered questions. So did his players.
That’s what separates coaches like Barry from others. He and his team were hurting so much it made me hurt having to interview them, but not a single one avoided a spotlight unlike the kind Aledo teams are used to.
Barry’s program has sent a boatload of players to also stand out in college. One, Cody Bradford, is pitching for the Texas Rangers and won a World Series game in 2023.
And if you ask Barry about any of his former players, where they are and how they are doing, odds are he can tell you in the blink of an eye. All great coaches, it seems, do this, because to them their players are more than just a way to win games.
Players understand this, and as a result they want to win even more. It’s where the slogan “run through a brick wall” comes from — and if they had to, Barry’s players would do exactly that.
Not only are his players champions with lots of memories from this season, memories they will talk about for the rest of their lives. They’ll also talk about how fortunate they were to play for a coach like Barry — just as many others are already doing.
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