Murray State University Athletics
Runnin’ with the Racers Podcast – Barrett Displayed Multi-Sport Talent
7/5/2023 5:10:00 PM | Baseball, Men's Basketball
Steve Barrett played basketball and baseball for Racer coaching legends, Cal Luther and Johnny Reagan
Multi-sport student-athlete, Steve Barrett, made his mark for Murray State basketball and baseball from 1970-74. A 1988 inductee to the MSU Hall of Fame, Barrett was the 155th guest on the Runnin' with the Racers Podcast.
The Runnin' with the Racers Podcast posts each week to GoRacers.com, Spotify, iTunes and Soundcloud.
Barrett marked the 56th Murray State hall of famer to be featured on the program, hosted by Dave Winder.
Playing Two Sports Came Easy For Barrett
Out of Otwell, Indiana, Barrett was first recruited to play basketball for the Racers with the idea that baseball had to be part of the package no matter the school he decided to attend.
Fully confident of excelling in both sports, Barrett decided Murray State was the place when Coach Cal Luther agreed to allow baseball participation.
"To me, it wasn't that big a deal," Barrett recalled. "My Otwell High School coach Andy Anderson went with me when I came down to Murray to visit Coach Luther. When Cal agreed, that probably was the biggest thing that made me decide for Murray State."
Was it a wait-and-see thing? It probably was for Coach Johnny Reagan.
"I laughed later on when I heard a story that Coach Reagan had said, he didn't figure (playing both sports) would last very long because he'd never had a basketball player stay and play four years of baseball. I told Coach Reagan later on, 'you didn't know me'!
Barrett's play on the court and the diamond did all the talking and then some. Luther and Reagan put Barrett in the starting lineup and let him do his thing.
In the 1970-71 basketball season, Barrett saw action in all 26 games where he averaged 7.3 points per game. In the spring, Reagan penciled Barrett into the second base spot and let him go. He batted .388 in 29 games, at the time the highest single-season average with the most at-bats (98) and hits (38) in MSU history.
Barrett was never named All-Ohio Valley Conference in basketball, but he was three times in baseball.
Barrett played 43 career basketball games for the Racers, shot .51 percent from the field and 89 percent from the free throw line. MSU first tracked assists in his final two seasons with Barrett totaling 94 in 48 games. In baseball, Barrett finished with the MSU career marks of 156 games played, 507 at-bats and 168 hits. His career batting average of 331, still ranks him 14th at MSU in 2023. Barrett was also part of 66 wins in a two-season period, with the 'Breds winning the OVC championship in 1974.
"At the time, it was a lot easier to do," Barrett explained about playing two sports. "You didn't have these extended basketball seasons and you didn't have baseball starting in February. I loved every minute of it. In the spring of 1974, we beat Austin Peay in the final basketball game and it was one of our biggest wins and by that night, I was in a car headed for Florida. I met up with Coach Reagan and the team and we opened the season the following Monday."
Big League Dreams
As Barrett became a box score stuffer, it was a certainty that his plate and in the field performance would draw attention from the scouts of Major League Baseball.
On the Runnin' with the Racers Podcast, a long thought of question was finally set straight. Steve Barrett is the only player in Murray State Baseball history to get drafted by MLB teams three times.
The first time was in 1973 when the Atlanta Braves selected him in the 22nd round.
"That was after my junior year, when I was drafted by the Atlanta Braves, but I was too immature to know what to do," Barrett said. "All I thought about was going back to school and playing for Coach Reagan. I remember the day Coach called me and I said, 'I'll be back at school" and he said, 'that's all I wanted to know'.
The second time Barrett was drafted was in the winter of 1972 in the MLB Secondary Draft. He was taken by the California Angels sight-unseen in the third round.
At that time, Barrett was busy playing guard for the Racers on the basketball court.
"The Angels told me they hadn't seen me, but liked what I had done. However, there was no way I was leaving in the middle of the basketball season and told them I wasn't going to do that."
In the 1974 summer draft, Barrett's stock was high and the San Diego Padres took the infielder in the second round as the highest Murray State draft pick (27th overall), a mark that still stands today.
"I can't complain, but I had the worst hitting season I ever had in my life," Barrett remembered. "I had some personal statistics that were above others on the team. I had the best defensive average and led the team in stolen bases."
Barrett did get offered to stay with the San Diego organization in 1975, but like many athletes, there was a decision to make.
Was it worth it to chase baseball dreams, or better to be with his young family?
"It scared me that there wasn't much money involved and I didn't want to spend another summer without my family," Barrett said. "So I walked away from it, but it was really difficult for me to make that decision because the only thing I ever wanted to do was play professional baseball."
Barrett Learned From The Best
Decades later, Barrett's decision was for the best. He was a teacher and coach in Otwell for newly formed Pike Central High School that was consolidated for Pike County in 1974.
Barrett coached successful teams for 28 seasons with the Chargers and also coached girls basketball at Pike Central for seven seasons.
Having played for Cal Luther and Johnny Reagan, Barrett was more than equipped to carve out his own identity as a coach.
"I was very fortunate to play for Cal and Johnny," Barrett said. "Coach Luther was an animated coach as many fans know. He was very comfortable with taking his sports coat off and throwing it five rows into the stands (laughs) and I coached basketball that way, animated. The game of basketball is more intense in most moments than baseball is. Coach Reagan was very measured and he helped me understand that baseball has its moments too, but not the way basketball does. I took a lot of things from both of them and they helped me be a good coach."
Once a Racer – Always a Racer
Barrett was called to the Murray State Hall of Fame in 1988, it's something that was unexpected and frightening simultaneously.
"I don't know if I even knew the Hall of Fame existed until Coach Reagan called me one day," Barrett recalled. "He said I needed to come down to the banquet and honored properly. Well, that scared me, the thought of giving a speech. I told him that I didn't think I could make it down and Coach said 'you'll make it down, even if I have to come and get you'!"
"You know, it's once a Racer, always a Racer. It's just the way I feel about it. It's something that I don't regret coming to Murray State one bit."
The Runnin' with the Racers Podcast posts each week to GoRacers.com, Spotify, iTunes and Soundcloud.
Barrett marked the 56th Murray State hall of famer to be featured on the program, hosted by Dave Winder.
Playing Two Sports Came Easy For Barrett
Out of Otwell, Indiana, Barrett was first recruited to play basketball for the Racers with the idea that baseball had to be part of the package no matter the school he decided to attend.
Fully confident of excelling in both sports, Barrett decided Murray State was the place when Coach Cal Luther agreed to allow baseball participation.
"To me, it wasn't that big a deal," Barrett recalled. "My Otwell High School coach Andy Anderson went with me when I came down to Murray to visit Coach Luther. When Cal agreed, that probably was the biggest thing that made me decide for Murray State."
Was it a wait-and-see thing? It probably was for Coach Johnny Reagan.
"I laughed later on when I heard a story that Coach Reagan had said, he didn't figure (playing both sports) would last very long because he'd never had a basketball player stay and play four years of baseball. I told Coach Reagan later on, 'you didn't know me'!
Barrett's play on the court and the diamond did all the talking and then some. Luther and Reagan put Barrett in the starting lineup and let him do his thing.
In the 1970-71 basketball season, Barrett saw action in all 26 games where he averaged 7.3 points per game. In the spring, Reagan penciled Barrett into the second base spot and let him go. He batted .388 in 29 games, at the time the highest single-season average with the most at-bats (98) and hits (38) in MSU history.
Barrett was never named All-Ohio Valley Conference in basketball, but he was three times in baseball.
Barrett played 43 career basketball games for the Racers, shot .51 percent from the field and 89 percent from the free throw line. MSU first tracked assists in his final two seasons with Barrett totaling 94 in 48 games. In baseball, Barrett finished with the MSU career marks of 156 games played, 507 at-bats and 168 hits. His career batting average of 331, still ranks him 14th at MSU in 2023. Barrett was also part of 66 wins in a two-season period, with the 'Breds winning the OVC championship in 1974.
"At the time, it was a lot easier to do," Barrett explained about playing two sports. "You didn't have these extended basketball seasons and you didn't have baseball starting in February. I loved every minute of it. In the spring of 1974, we beat Austin Peay in the final basketball game and it was one of our biggest wins and by that night, I was in a car headed for Florida. I met up with Coach Reagan and the team and we opened the season the following Monday."
Big League Dreams
As Barrett became a box score stuffer, it was a certainty that his plate and in the field performance would draw attention from the scouts of Major League Baseball.
On the Runnin' with the Racers Podcast, a long thought of question was finally set straight. Steve Barrett is the only player in Murray State Baseball history to get drafted by MLB teams three times.
The first time was in 1973 when the Atlanta Braves selected him in the 22nd round.
"That was after my junior year, when I was drafted by the Atlanta Braves, but I was too immature to know what to do," Barrett said. "All I thought about was going back to school and playing for Coach Reagan. I remember the day Coach called me and I said, 'I'll be back at school" and he said, 'that's all I wanted to know'.
The second time Barrett was drafted was in the winter of 1972 in the MLB Secondary Draft. He was taken by the California Angels sight-unseen in the third round.
At that time, Barrett was busy playing guard for the Racers on the basketball court.
"The Angels told me they hadn't seen me, but liked what I had done. However, there was no way I was leaving in the middle of the basketball season and told them I wasn't going to do that."
In the 1974 summer draft, Barrett's stock was high and the San Diego Padres took the infielder in the second round as the highest Murray State draft pick (27th overall), a mark that still stands today.
"I can't complain, but I had the worst hitting season I ever had in my life," Barrett remembered. "I had some personal statistics that were above others on the team. I had the best defensive average and led the team in stolen bases."
Barrett did get offered to stay with the San Diego organization in 1975, but like many athletes, there was a decision to make.
Was it worth it to chase baseball dreams, or better to be with his young family?
"It scared me that there wasn't much money involved and I didn't want to spend another summer without my family," Barrett said. "So I walked away from it, but it was really difficult for me to make that decision because the only thing I ever wanted to do was play professional baseball."
Barrett Learned From The Best
Decades later, Barrett's decision was for the best. He was a teacher and coach in Otwell for newly formed Pike Central High School that was consolidated for Pike County in 1974.
Barrett coached successful teams for 28 seasons with the Chargers and also coached girls basketball at Pike Central for seven seasons.
Having played for Cal Luther and Johnny Reagan, Barrett was more than equipped to carve out his own identity as a coach.
"I was very fortunate to play for Cal and Johnny," Barrett said. "Coach Luther was an animated coach as many fans know. He was very comfortable with taking his sports coat off and throwing it five rows into the stands (laughs) and I coached basketball that way, animated. The game of basketball is more intense in most moments than baseball is. Coach Reagan was very measured and he helped me understand that baseball has its moments too, but not the way basketball does. I took a lot of things from both of them and they helped me be a good coach."
Once a Racer – Always a Racer
Barrett was called to the Murray State Hall of Fame in 1988, it's something that was unexpected and frightening simultaneously.
"I don't know if I even knew the Hall of Fame existed until Coach Reagan called me one day," Barrett recalled. "He said I needed to come down to the banquet and honored properly. Well, that scared me, the thought of giving a speech. I told him that I didn't think I could make it down and Coach said 'you'll make it down, even if I have to come and get you'!"
"You know, it's once a Racer, always a Racer. It's just the way I feel about it. It's something that I don't regret coming to Murray State one bit."
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