The list of awards for Matt Barr is starting to get lengthy.
The SUNY Niagara freshman’s latest accolade decided he was the top pitcher in the country. Barr was named NJCAA Division III Pitcher of the Year Monday after winning all 10 appearances, striking out 94 and posting a 1.74 ERA in 57 innings to help the Thunderwolves to the No. 1 seed in the national tournament and a 51-2 record.
Barr also had 14.84 strikeouts per nine innings and surrendered just a .118 batting average, earning Division III first-team All-American honors. He was the WNYAC Player of the Year, a first-team All-WNYAC selection and a first-team All-Region III pick this season.
The 6-foot-6 right-hander is committed to the University of Tennessee, but he’s also ranked No. 158 in the MLB.com draft prospect rankings, while being named top junior college prospect in the draft by Perfect Game.
Barr, who recorded a 98 mph fastball during the season, also helped his chances at the MLB draft scouting combine in Phoenix, June 17-18.
Barr’s four-seam fastball was clocked at 92.8 mph with a spin rate of 2,656 rpm, which ranked second among all pitchers. His slider was the second-fastest (85.8 mph) and had the second-highest spin rate (3,017 rpm).
He also delivered with his curveball testing, with the fifth-fastest pitch (82.9) and the second-highest spin rate (2,978). Meanwhile, Barr’s cutter was the second-fastest (92.5) and his sprint rate (2,614) was third.
Additionally, shortstop Nigel Sebastianelli was named the NJCAA Divsion III defensive player of the year. The sophomore had a .937 fielding percentage, committing just eight errors and had 33 putouts, including five double plays.
Sebastianelli, a St. Catherines, Ontario, native, is also committed to play for Division I Towson. He was also superb at the plate this season, finishing in the top-10 nationally with a .468 average, with 53 RBIs and a .514 on-base percentage.
He also netted 18 stolen bases and finished sixth in the nation with six triples. Sebastianelli was also the sixth SUNY Niagara player in history to earn Gold Glove honors from Rawlings.
He joins Sean Jamieson (2009), Calvin Sluberski (2012), Michael Colosi (2016), Matt Cross (2017) and Andrew Damiani (2024).
A pair of freshmen were also named second-team All-Americans. Catcher Dalton Harper and infielder Cooper Rossano were both voted among the state’s top players.
Harper hit .438 and posted a .673 slugging percentage, while collecting 67 total hits after transferring from Georgia Southern. Harper also recorded 38 RBIs, 56 runs, 23 extra-base hits and had a .980 field percentage.
Rossano, who started his career at Albany, was the only SUNY Niagara player to appear in all 53 games, hitting .462 with a .754 slugging percentage. Rossano led the team in hits (79), runs (73), RBI (66) and triples (8), while also slugging eight home runs.