Joseph Barnhardt '21 Recruiting Profile

My name is Joseph Barnhardt. I have been playing baseball since I was 8 years old. I go to Tokay high School in Lodi, California and was raised in Morada, California by my mother and father, Jerry and Elizabeth, along with my two sisters Laura and Emma. My mother attended San Joaquin Delta College for two years before transfering and graduating with a Master's Degree from the University of the Pacific, and my father graduated from San Jose State University. Currently, both of my sisters are enrolled at the University of the Pacific and are majoring in biology. I am a 2021 graduate going into my senior year at Tokay High School where I am the starting catcher on my varsity team. I have been playing varsity baseball for three years, starting off my freshman year at Jim Elliot Christian High School in Lodi and then transferring to Tokay my sophomore year. I was primarily a 3rd baseman up until I was about 12 or 13 when I became a catcher. I enjoy catching because I am involved in every play of the game and I love the idea of having a game within a game with the process of pitch presentation, blocking, and throwing out runners. Overall I am proud of myself looking back at all of the hard work I have put into my game over the past few years, so much so that it's hard to recognize myself as a player looking back to my freshman or even my sophomore year. I also value academics greatly, especially after raising my GPA to a 4.16 this last semester. I have always valued an education and above all I want a degree from a four year college so that regardless of baseball, I am able to find a career of my choosing. I am eager to advance and succeed at the next level, and doing so will fulfill some of my greatest passions, school and baseball.