Biography
Honors
• Athletic Director’s Honor Roll (Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023)
• MVC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award (2020-21, 2022-23)
• MVC Honor Roll (2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23)
2023 (Senior)/Career Summary
Ranked third on the team in appearances and fourth in innings in his fifth season, going 3-2 with a 5.33 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 54 innings...Made five starts and 18 relief appearances...Struck out five-plus batters four times, including on three occasions out of the bullpen...Earned the winning decision at SEMO (March 15), against Bradley (April 9) and at Murray State (May 6)...Ended career with a 14-11 record and 5.16 ERA in 212.2 innings pitched with 187 strikeouts and a .247 opponent average.
2022 (Senior)
Weekend starter for the Bears for much of the season, making 11 starts and 19 total appearances...Ranked fifth in the MVC with 85.2 innings pitched and seventh with a .252 opponent average, finishing 6-6 with a 5.25 ERA and 65 strikeouts...Pitched a complete game against top-seeded Southern Illinois in the MVC Tournament (May 25), yielding five hits and one run...Struck out eight batters, the most for an MSU pitcher on the season, in 5.1 innings in a win against Arkansas State (March 13)...Fanned six and allowed one hit in five relief innings versus SEMO (March 20)...Tossed at least five innings in six of seven MVC starts...Struck out six-plus hitters on four occasions...Fired 6.1 shutout innings with two hits allowed in a May 14 victory against Illinois State.
2021 (Junior)
Went 1-0 with a 4.71 ERA in eight appearances and one start as junior...Struck out 23 batters in 21 innings and held opponents to a .234 average...Got the victory with five shutout innings of relief against Valparaiso (May 21), striking out five and yielding three hits...Fanned four Mizzou hitters in two innings in Missouri State’s April 13 win in Columbia...Surrendered two runners in three innings at SEMO (March 30)...Tossed three scoreless frames at Evansville (April 17).
2020 (Sophomore)
Led all qualifying MSU pitchers with a 2.37 ERA and a 3-0 record ... Led the Valley in wins and was fifth in ERA ... Pitched in six games with one start, fanning 17 and yielding only nine hits in 19 innings for a .148 opponent average, good for second in the MVC and 39th nationally ... Walked only four batters for a 0.68 WHIP, ranking 28th nationally in that category ... Completed 8.2 innings before allowing his first run of the season ... Had two-inning scoreless outings at Central Arkansas (Feb. 16) and Lipscomb (Feb. 22) ... Fanned five and allowed only a walk in 3.0 innings at Oral Roberts (Feb. 25), earning the win in relief ... Surrendered two hits and struck out five in seven innings versus Maine (March 8), getting the victory in his lone start.
2019 (Freshman)
Barnes enjoyed a strong start to his Missouri State career, making 11 mound appearances including seven starts ... Logged a 1-3 season mark in 33.0 total innings, striking out 25 hitters ... Started the season with 2/3 of an inning against Nevada (Feb. 15), allowing one hit and one walk ... Made his first collegiate start in the Bears’ home opener vs. Central Arkansas (Feb. 27), allowing two runs on four hits over 4.1 innings of a 9-7 victory ... Also fanned four hitters over 4.0 innings of a start at Kansas (March 27) ... Registered one of the Bears’ two complete games on the season April 2 at SEMO, holding the Red Hawks to two runs on three hits while striking out 11 batters to earn his first victory (8-2) ... Turned in 2.0 scoreless innings vs. Missouri (April 16) at Hammons Field, then worked a scoreless frame a week later in the return trip to Columbia ... Made his first MVC start April 28 in the Bears’ series finale vs. Bradley ... Helped MSU rally from a seven-run deficit at Evansville (May 11) with 2.1 innings of relief ... Racked up a league-best 58 strikeouts in 40.0 innings pitching over the summer for the Ozark Wild of the Show-Me Collegiate League.
Background
Joined the Bears after helping Ozark (Mo.) High School to three Central Ozarks Conference Large titles in his four prep seasons...Picked up first-team Missouri Class 5 All-State and COC Co-Pitcher of the Year honors as a senior in 2018 after helping Ozark to an 18-9 finish ...Earned first-team All-COC honors as a sophomore after going 5-4 with a 2.14 ERA for OHS’s 20-11 squad, before picking up second-team all-conference recognition in 2017 as a junior...Competed for Team Missouri’s Junior Sunbelt Classic championship squad in June 2017.
Personal
Forrest Barnes is the son of Gary and Rae Ann Barnes...Born Feb. 9, 2000, in Springfield, Mo....Father played baseball at Lipscomb and Harding Universities...Majoring in exercise and movement science at Missouri State.
