How Barr Became an Anchor for Wolverines' Pitching Staff

Sophomore right-hander, ranking seventh in Big Ten with 3.54 ERA, credits pitching coach Huntzinger for getting his curveball consistent to complement fastball

Photo by Derek Kornacki

Kurt Barr cuts loose with a pitch Friday night for Michigan against Purdue at Fisher Stadium.

By Steve Kornacki

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Kurt Barr has established himself as one of the better pitchers in the Big Ten, and the lanky Michigan right-hander is only a sophomore.

That bodes well for the Wolverines, who need an anchor before they can build a pitching staff capable of returning the program to the greatness it attained just five years ago.

Michigan reached the College World Series in Omaha in 2019 because future MLB pitchers Tommy Henry and Karl Kauffmann combined with Jeff Criswell to provide a true mound presence.

Barr has the stuff and competitiveness to serve as a starting point to another great pitching staff.

He started Friday night and has a team-low 3.54 ERA that ranks seventh in the conference. He was brilliant in the first three innings, striking out seven, and finally ran out of gas in the seventh inning, having thrown 103 pitches. Barr allowed three runs on four hits over 6 2/3 innings, and pitched well enough to win in a 4-0 loss to Purdue.

“It’s a quality start,” said Wolverine coach Tracy Smith. “He was almost 50 pitches through two [innings]. You knew it was going to be problematic as we got deeper because the pitch count was high unless he was able to have some quick innings – which didn’t happen.

“But he made one mistake pitch [resulting in a two-run homer in the seventh by Keenan Spence for the game’s first runs]. When you’re in a Friday night game in the Big Ten, it’s always going to be a tight game. You make one pitch that could be the difference, and that happened today. But I thought it was a quality start by him, and he did exactly what he’s supposed to do – which was give your offense a chance to win. But we just didn’t do it.”

Barr is an example of what Smith is striving to develop -- along with pitching coach Brock Huntzinger -- in his second year since replacing Erik Bakich, who is now working his magic for No. 2-ranked Clemson.

Teams go as far as their pitching takes them, and Michigan (26-24, 11-8 Big Ten) has a 6.06 ERA that ranks eighth in the Big Ten.

Barr (5-3), however, is having a break-out season, leading the team with 73 2/3 innings and posting 49 strikeouts that are three off the team lead of fifth-year senior Jacob Denner (6-4 with four saves and a 4.21 ERA).

The Boilermakers have a formidable offense, and Barr struck out five consecutive batters by getting ahead in counts and keeping them off balance.

“He was doing a real good job of throwing the breaking ball for a strike,” said Smith, “and then the fastball locating it when he needed it. Every pitch for him was a pressure pitch.”

Barr said, “I think that was, first and foremost, just establishing my fastball, and not getting streaky there. That was pretty consistent. And I had my cutter and curveball working today. Sometimes, it’s one or the other, and today it was both. I was able to utilize those well – to the point where they were chasing stuff out of the zone. That was the key to success with the strikeouts racking up.”

The development of his curve has been central to Barr making a big jump after getting six starts in 12 appearances over 23 2/3 innings as a freshman. He was 1-1 with a 4.18 ERA in 2023.

“Coach Brock Huntzinger – I love him,” said Barr. “He’s a players’ guy. Day in and day out, we look at film, and talk about starts the days after. We really analyze everything. He has a lot of trust in me, and I have a lot of trust in him.

“He’s really helped me out on landing my breakers for strikes. Last year, it was pretty inconsistent with the curveball there. I was getting behind in counts, and when you can’t throw the breaker in a 2-0 count or 3-0 count, it gets super predictable. It was about making sure I threw it with conviction. We harnessed that.”

Barr said it was a matter of getting his release points and sight lines down.

“I’m picking out a spot on the catcher,” he said. “I’m going to throw it to [catcher] Will Rogers’ facemask. If I do that, and snap it off well, it’s going to land at the knees of the batter.”

Photo by Derek Kornacki

Michigan right-hander Kurt Barr is “excited” about the upcoming Big Ten tournament because of the team’s “incredible” bond.

He’s also benefitted from conversations with student assistant coach Zach Putnam, a three-time All-America on three Big Ten championship teams for the Wolverines after a standout career at Ann Arbor Pioneer High. Putnam was a fifth-round pick by the Cleveland Indians in 2008, and was a reliever for seven MLB seasons.

“We have great conversations about baseball,” said Barr. “I pick up a lot from him about being mature on the mound. You can tell he had a calm demeanor when he was throwing. I don’t want to call him super analytical, but he’s good with the technicalities of pitching. He’s also a players’ guy.”

Barr (6-foot-2, 175 pounds) was a two-time All-State first team selection at Grosse Pointe (Mich.) University Liggett, and won a state championship in 2021. He throws his fastball in the low 90s, and also has a slider and changeup in his arsenal.

And it’s all been coming together for him during conference games.

Barr had a complete game 8-1 win over Minnesota April 13, and threw 6 1/3 innings in an April 19 shutout win over Ohio State in which Denner got the rest of the outs. Barr also finished the March 31 win over Maryland with two perfect innings.

Smith credits his two most valuable pitchers for taking the ball whenever it’s handed them.

“The best part about it is they’re not hung up on: ‘Hey, I’ve got to be a starter,’ ” said Smith. “It’s, ‘Use me.’ They don’t care whether they’re coming out of the pen or if they start. They know they’re going to get high-leverage innings, and both of them accepted the role very, very well.

“Certainly, Kurt’s had a really good year up to this point. And, Jacob Denner, we’re not sitting in the position we’re in right now if he’s not doing what he’s doing, and his unselfishness, and being part of darned near every decision, is pretty spectacular.”

The three starting assignments doled out in weekend Big Ten games are coveted.

“My goal at the end of last year was to be a weekend starter,” said Barr. “Obviously, I’m here now, and I’m thankful for it. But at the beginning of the season I actually loved relieving because you’re thrown into it in the later innings, and it gets more and more competitive. My role was coming into the closer games and it was juiced up. You could feel it.

“But I also like starting because everything’s super planned out, and I can plan my lifts and recovery. So, I really enjoy doing everything. But I’m glad I’m at the point where I am now.”

If the Wolverines are to make any kind of run in the Big Ten baseball tournament beginning in two weeks, they will have to ride the arms of a precious few pitchers. Guys like Chase Allen, Dylan Vigue and Mitch Voit must factor into production.

There isn’t a nationally ranked team in the conference, and so anything can happen if your team gets hot during the games played in Omaha.

“Baseball’s funny like that,” said Barr. “Like today, it wasn’t clicking. But at any point, it can. We have the arms to do it, and we know we have the bats to do it. That’s what’s special about baseball. In no other sport are you going to go on magical runs like that.

“And once that spark hits, pitching becomes contagious. Hitting becomes contagious. Everything’s contagious when you’re rolling like that, and this team is so connected. The bond on this team is incredible, and I know that can take us far in the Big Ten tournament. I’m excited to get there because I know it’s going to be fun.”