Barker returns to play at RCGT Park — this time in pinstripes
Canada’s university baseball circuit lacks a reputation of advancing players to the next level. Due to a short season and a lack of funding, most top recruits head south of the border to play while they attend post-secondary.
But Carson Barker’s recent signing with the Ottawa Titans is showing that if the talent is there, teams will still take notice. The Titans play in the Frontier League, an independent professional baseball league that has seen players like Steve Delabar, Tanner Roark, and Trevor Richards pass through its ranks on-route to Major League Baseball (MLB).
Barker, currently in Palm Springs where he is playing in the California Winter League (CWL), says it was Gee-Gees coach Roberto Suppa who encouraged him to partake in the Frontier League’s official winter league.
“Coach Suppa reached out to the Frontier League teams, and that’s how I was introduced to the CWL. I was told the CWL would be a great place to get more professional looks and experience against pro players.”
The Alliston native explained that his exposure to Titans coaches in California, including assistant David Peterson, has been beneficial for both sides.
“[Peterson] and all the other coaches have been super helpful! He has been working with me everyday, helping me with my catching work, my infield work, and getting some extra swings outside of just playing the games.”
The 5’11” Barker played mostly third-base for the Gee-Gees this past fall, but was signed as a catcher by the Titans. The left-handed hitter explains that he was introduced to the position while playing for the Lourdes Gray Wolves of the NAIA. “Unfortunately, all of our Catchers at the time had come down with injuries, so when [ Gray Wolves head ] coach Bradford asked if I’d be interested in taking over, I was more than happy to take on the challenge.”
After getting injured at Lourdes, the 22-year-old played with the Gee-Gees baseball team for their fall 2023 season, racking up 11 extra-base hits during 20 games. Barker again credited Suppa for his decision to join the team.
“He reached out to me through one of my old teammates to see if I’d be interested in playing. It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up and I am so grateful. He and our assistant coach Josh [Todd] have been so helpful in getting me to the next level.”
When I asked Suppa in the fall about what Barker brought to the Gee-Gees, the coach gave him a glowing review. “He came back for training ready to play. He shed weight, got himself into really good shape.”
Suppa also said Barker, along with San Diego State transfer Andrew Johnston, “took huge steps on the field, but really, more off the field, they brought a level of professionalism to the team.”
Barker went on to talk about accepting the differences between Canadian and American collegiate baseball. “It’s not really anybody’s fault. It’s just kind of the way the ball rolls. It’s a little less of an organized thing, you know, because it’s not year-round. You go hard for about a month and a half, and you just take it in stride and enjoy every game. All the boys at [the U of O] and our coaching staff do a great job making the most out of the season.”
Strange path to the Frontier League or not, Barker has his shot, and he says he’s not going to waste it. It’s clear that has already started when he talks about the work he’s putting in in California.
“Just putting my head down and putting in as much work as I can. The CWL provides so many great resources, so I want to learn as much as I can while it’s available.”
The Titans are one of just three Canadian teams in the Frontier League, and play their home games at Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton Park in Vanier — the same place the Gee-Gees play their home games. Barker explained that playing for a Canadian team was the “opportunity of a lifetime.”
He continued to speak about what it means getting the chance to play for the Titans. “I couldn’t be happier with it. I set myself a goal when I got to [the U of O] that I was going to make it to the next level, and it’s so exciting that I get to do that so close to home.”
During game one of the O-Train series at RCGT Park, where the Gees hosted Carleton, Barker sent one hit bouncing over the wall for a ground-rule double and later came agonizingly close to sending one out of the park, hitting a frozen rope off the base of the wall in the seventh inning.
“That wall was my worst enemy last year,” Barker said. “But I’m hoping to get one out this year.”
