Justin Barlow made a name for himself with his quickness and run-stopping abilities at Carson High, and three years later he hopes to have that success at the college level.
Barlow, who started his career as a walk-on at the University of Nevada and then played two years at College of San Mateo, signed two weeks ago with Division II Fayeteville State in North Carolina.
“My coaches at San Mateo gave them some game film, and they wanted to talk to me after they saw it,” Barlow said recently. “They have a new coach, and they went out looking for JC talent. They want me to come in and start.”
Barlow said he’ll be used as a defensive end in a 3-4 alignment, a position he likes much better than nose tackle.
“I like the defensive end spot because it allows you to make a lot more plays,” Barlow. “At the nose, you are getting double-teamed consistently.”
Barlow said he doesn’t regret the time he spent at Nevada.
“It was all about the experience,” Barlow said. “As a redshirt, I practiced everyday, and did everything the team did. Heck I got to practice with Dontay Moch (now in the NFL). It really showed me what I needed to work on.”
Initially Fayetteville didn’t offer Barlow a full scholarship, but later upped the offer which the former Carson star accepted.
Barlow isn’t the only Carson player who has played at San Mateo. Quarterback Blake Plattsmier just finished his second season at CSM and is being recruited by Stetson in Florida. Austin Pacheco kicked there last season and Will Flores played a year there before heading to Missouri Southern University.
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Congratulations to former Carson High softball star Moriah Lane, who was an all-conference selection at Feather River this past spring.
Lane, a first baseman, hit .470 with three homers and 29 RBI in 37 games. Of her 47 hits, 12 went for extra bases (8 doubles, 1 triple, 3 homers). She struck out just 10 times in 119 plate appearances. She had an on-base percentage of .539 and a slugging percentage of .660.
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University of Nevada senior outfielder Brooks Klein, who played at Western Nevada for two seasons, was named to the Capital One Academic All-District 8 team. The team is voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America in each district. Klein’s name will now appear on the national ballot to select the academic All-America team.
Klein, from Blue Diamond has a 3.9 GPA in community health sciences. The Wolf Pack’s starting right fielder he is the only Nevada player to play in all 44 games this season and has started 43. Currently he is batting .339 with 29 runs scored, 11 doubles, four triples, six home runs and 37 RBI.
Klein ranks in the top 10 in eight offensive categories in the Mountain West Conference He is fourth in RBI (37), total bases (94) and triples (4) in the conference. His .560 slugging percentage and six home runs ranks fifth while his 57 hits is seventh, 11 doubles ranks ninth and .339 batting average is 10th.
In his two seasons at Nevada, Klein has played in all 101 games and started 99. A 63-game streak of consecutive starts came to an end at Utah Valley this year when he did not get the start but did appear as a pinch hitter.