First Posted: 8/22/2009

FAIRMONT Colton Barnhill faced some of the state’s stiffest competition while helping Fairmont’s baseball team to one of the best seasons in school history last year.
Now, Barnhill will have a chance to face the nation’s best.
Thanks to a strong performance at the Under Armour National tryout in Burlington earlier this month, Barnhill will represent Fairmont at the Arizona Senior Fall Classic Oct. 14-18 in Peoria, Az.
“It’s a honor to be selected for this,” Barnhill said. “I’ve never been that far away from home to play baseball. I’ve only been to Florida to play ball.”
The Arizona Senior Fall Classic is a national tournament for the country’s top high school players. Players will be competing against some of the top teams from across the country as well as playing in front of more than 200 college coaches and scouts.
“Hopefully, I can pick up better things from the players and work on what they want me to do,” Barnhill said.
Barnhill suffered a broken arm in Fairmont’s 16-3 season-ending loss to McMichael in the state 2-A Eastern Regional final series.
Fairmont head coach Sandy Thorndyke said the tryout was Barnhill’s first significant baseball action since suffering the injury.
“He just had an awesome day,” Thorndyke said. “They said his hands were really good and his speed throwing the ball across the infield was above average. From my understanding, there were about 80 kids at the showcase and he just stood out way above all the other kids.”
Added Barnhill, “I was surprised at how much better I did, despite not playing all summer.”
Barnhill was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference player in 2008 and was named to The Robesonian’s All-County team.
“He’s got all the tools,” Thorndyke said. “He has the size and everything you need. How good he can be is going to be totally up to him. If he puts the time in then he could be as good a player as there has ever been at Fairmont.”