Barnes' arm, bat boosts Tropics to pair of Ws in Arkansas tourney

It’s no coincidence that in the two victories attained by the Southeast Tropics at the Twin Lakes Classic in Mountain Homes, Ark., Tropics standout Luke Barnes performed very well, on the mound in the first win and at the plate in the second win.

“Barnes means a lot to us,” veteran Tropics manager Dustin Schwartz said. “Whether he is on the mound, or at the plate, the kid is an athlete."

Conversely, when Barnes struggled at the plate in the second game of the tournament, the end result was a 5-3 loss to MacLeod.

In the end, the Tropics won two of their three games in the event and stand 6-5 on the summer circuit, with a rematch against Paragould today at Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff at 4 p.m.

“We’ve got a lot of talent,” Schwartz said recently. “We’ve just got to start putting g it together.”

The Tropics have shown an ability to do so – at times.

In a 4-3 win over Bartlesville to open the Arkansas tournament, Barnes was very strong on the mound.

He worked six innings and allowed just two earned runs on seven hits while walking three and striking out six.

“Luke is a big kid,” Schwartz said, “and he’s strong. He’s a little bit quicker than people might think by just looking at him.”

Offensively in that game, Barnes was limited to a walk in two at-bats, while Brandon Mayes (three hits) and Aaron Dunlap (two hits) paced the Tropics.

Mayes continued his solid play in the MacLeod loss, as he connected for two hits, including a double.

Barnes, on the other hand, did not have a hit in three at-bats. However, the recent Class 1 First Team All-State player out of Cooter High School got back on track in a closing 5-2 win over Fort Smith.

In the tournament finale, Barnes crushed a home run as one of his two hits, while scoring twice, driving in one run, and walking once.

“That is a kid who we are going to need in the middle of our lineup,” Schwartz said, “if we’re going to make another deep run.”

That “deep run” in late July and August is what Schwartz is focusing on, even today.

The veteran coach has strengthened this summer’s schedule (the game with Paragould will be the third against it this month) with the thought of building his team for a tough postseason.

“We’re going to play a tough schedule this year,” Schwartz said. “This is probably the toughest summer schedule that I have ever put together. That was on purpose.

“For us to win the big games at the end of the year, you’re not going to win those by playing an easy schedule and trying to bump up your wins. I want to play a tough schedule (and) if we finish .500 in the regular season, I don’t care. I’m here for the postseason. Those are the games that I want.”