VHSL CLASS 2 BASEBALL: Lebanon's Dagan Barton back and better (2024)

Dagan Barton had one of his best days on the baseball field on June 10, 2023, as he drove in two runs for the Lebanon Pioneers as they earned a 7-0 victory over the Auburn Eagles in the finals of the VHSL Class 1 state baseball tournament at Salem Memorial Ballpark. He had one of his toughest days playing the sport less than a month later.

“I had a collision with my center fielder in a showcase up in Richmond on July 9 that was 100 percent my fault,” Barton said. “We knew I definitely sprained my ankle at the very least, so when the six-week healing process was over and it was still hurting we knew something was off.”

Following a round of MRIs and X-Rays, the diagnosis turned out to be something called calcaneonavicular coalition.

“It basically meant that I had bones in my foot that were fused together and it wasn’t allowing the sprain to fully heal,” Barton said.

Surgery occurred on Nov. 28 and that was followed by sessions with Nick Smith and his crew at Lebanon Physical Therapy.

There was a tad of anxiety – as is the case for all athletes coming back from an injury – for Barton as he underwent the rehabilitation process.

“I didn’t even know if I would be able to get to play in most of the non-district games this season,” Barton said.

Barton was in the starting lineup for season-opener, but Lebanon coach Cody Compton eased the southpaw into his old pitching role.

“I was very hopeful that he would pitch, I just was not sure when he would feel comfortable pitching,” Compton said. “There is a lot of stress on his foot and ankle and he needed to be confident he could pitch before we let him. It was just precautionary and letting him get comfortable on the mound again. I told him from day one that I didn’t need him ready until district play started, to take it slow getting back on the bump.”

When he did step on the mound, Barton was dialed in. He threw a five-inning no-hitter and struck out 10 on May 7 against Tazewell.

“I believe [the injury] gave him time to gather himself before the season,” said Lebanon ace pitcher Nathan “Tater” Phillips, who is also Barton’s cousin. “He came in with a different energy from last year. When he throws he has a different demeanor than he had thrown with before.”

Barton has pitched to the tune of a 7-1 record and 1.40 ERA this spring, while racking up 63 strikeouts in 40 innings of work. Opponents are hitting just .153 against him.

He owns a .375 batting average as well, manning first base when he isn’t on the bump.

“I think as the season has went on and my ankle has gotten stronger, I have gotten better and better on the mound,” Barton said. “Each appearance I’ve had this year has always been better than the one before it. I’ve only had one bad game on the mound and it was against a Daniel Boone team that made a case to be the best team in our area. Hopefully, that game will be my first, and last, bad game of the year.”

Having logged innings since he was a ninth-grader, Barton knows how to approach high school hitters.

“I’d say that I’m just a smart pitcher,” Barton said. “If there is a big power hitter at the plate I’m just going to try and keep the ball down and away. If they have a very long swing or if they are up on the plate I try to throw it in on their hands. Baseball is a game of adjustments and whoever adjusts better has a greater chance to succeed.”

Barton has certainly made the adjustments in the postseason.

He threw a complete-game, two-hit shutout in a 1-0 win over Union in the first round of the Region 2D tourney as he outdueled Union freshman Collyn Neff.

“The game against Union I was completely locked in,” Barton said. “Definitely my best performance of my career. That may have been the first time I’ve never walked anybody. I could tell that was the first time I’ve kept my velocity up throughout the whole game. It also helped me, despite it hurting my nerves, whenever Neff would go out there and have a 1-2-3 inning. It didn’t give my body any time to allow the soreness and fatigue to set in.”

Compton was among those impressed.

“Until Union he had never thrown more than five innings in a varsity game,” Compton said. “So for him to have the confidence to take the ball for seven innings in a 0-0 game was huge for us.”

In last week’s Region 2D finals, Barton did not allow an earned run, struck out seven and walked two in six innings as the Pioneers posted a 9-3 win over Wise County Central.

“He’s a competitor,” said Central coach Kelly Foster. “He knows how to pitch. He will go in and out and has an effective offspeed pitch. I think his greatest asset is how he locates his pitches.”

Lebanon hosts Gretna (8-13) Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the VHSL Class 2 state tournament – the Pioneers bumped up classifications from last year – as they are three wins away from a second straight championship.

It’s not known if Barton will be on the mound or at first base on Tuesday, but he’s focused either way.

“Being a senior, each playoff game means a little more knowing that it could be the last time you step foot on that field,” Barton said. “That has been my main motivation this season and especially the postseason. … It will be emotional knowing that game will be the last time I play a game on Doc Adams Field. It will probably be a little less emotional as long as we make sure that it isn’t the last game we will play this season.”