Written by Byron Beers
Junior shortstop Aiden Barnoski has been the glue of the Muskogee Roughers lineup.
Through Muskogee’s first 16 games in 2023, Barnoski leads the Roughers in batting average (.375), RBIs (12), doubles (four) and is tied for the team lead in hits with 15. He also has a .490 on-base percentage.
“Aiden is a junior and is an extremely hard worker who absolutely loves baseball,” Muskogee head coach John Singler said. “He is a great kid that is very coachable. He hits at the top third of the line-up. He will also be a big part of our pitching rotation.”
Barnoski is a fan of former major league baseball player, Dustin Pedroia, who was an MVP, four-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner for the Boston Red Sox. Aiden has been playing baseball since the age of three and it’s his only focus when it comes to competing in sports.
He enjoys doing any drill that involves groundwork and feels his biggest strength is his baseball IQ.
“I’ve put in a lot of work, staying late working individually with coaches, preparing myself to be the best I can be to put my team in a position to win,” Barnoski said. “We’ve been working hard day-in and day-out. Everyone comes in with a winning mindset. My strengths are my baseball IQ, and I’ve improved in the weight room.”
Barnoski’s favorite baseball moment came as a freshman at Muskogee when he delivered a walk-off hit to lift the Roughers to a win on senior night.
Muskogee went 4-10 in the month of March before stringing together a season-best three consecutive wins against Tulsa NOAH, Sunrise Christian Academy (Kansas) and Oologah-Talala in the Oologah Tournament during the first week of April.
“The pride in Muskogee is growing everyday,” he said. “The culture is improving. Baseball gets better every day. I want to give a shoutout to our coaches. They have put a lot of time into getting us prepared for the season.”
Barnoski values leadership on the field.
“Being a good student, showing up on time, being ready to go, being respectful, and helping the younger guys are important,” he said.
