Luke Barber wasted no time bursting onto the scene at Otterbein, launching a towering three-run homer in his first college at-bat. He continued the immediate success throughout a freshman year that saw him hit .376 at the plate and help the team win a Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) regular-season title.

The St. Francis DeSales product carried that momentum into another stellar sophomore season in 2019, leading the league in home runs (9) and repeating as a second team All-OAC pick. He hit .320 at the dish, launched a memorable walk-off grand slam to beat Mount Union, and was named to the OAC All-Tournament Team after Otterbein swept through the bracket at Baldwin Wallace as the No. 4 and final seed. His Cardinals then subsequently made the NCAA Championships for a second-straight year.

Barber’s junior season was off to a strong start as the first baseman was hitting .382 and had tallied 18 RBI in 13 contests. He also had four home runs prior to the pandemic shutdown and was already named an OAC Hitter of the Week.

Despite the shortened campaign, Barber was recognized for his efforts off the diamond as a first team CoSIDA Academic All-District and All-America pick. A mechanical engineering major with a near-perfect GPA, he was one of just 11 student-athletes across the country chosen to the heralded first team.

Even more impressively, the selection extended Otterbein’s national-best streak across all of NCAA Division III baseball to seven-straight years with at least one Academic All-American. With two years of eligibility remaining entering the 2021 schedule, the possibilities for Barber remains sky high.