Baseball | 8/11/2022 11:56:00 AM
Written by Tim Gallagher, BVU Assistant Director of Communications
Storm Lake, Iowa (Aug. 11, 2022) – Michael Barta, a 2008 Buena Vista University graduate, recently led the Johnston Dragons to their sixth state baseball championship, four of which have been won during Barta's tenure as Head Coach.
The Dragons defeated Dowling Catholic in the championship contest, 11-1.
"Our team played its best baseball at the end of the season, which is something we strive for," says Barta, a business teacher at Johnston High School. "Hitting was our strength early in the season. We lost a couple of games in the middle of the summer due to some defensive miscues, which we ended up improving upon. Our pitching kept getting better and better, so, as a team, we were rolling at the end."
Johnston outscored its foes 28-7 in three state tournament games, ultimately resulting in a title he celebrated with his team, his school and community, and his biggest fans at home: wife Stacey (Ginapp) Barta (a 2008 BVU graduate), and their children: Bridget, 9; Luke, 4; and Greta, 2.
"We had 16 seniors on this team and I'm very happy for each of them," says Coach Barta, who also guided the Dragons to state titles in 2013, 2017, and 2020. "We were rated No. 1 from start to finish and they provided great play and leadership. The feeling of winning never gets old."
A 2003 graduate of Kuemper Catholic High School in Carroll, Barta was coached by Iowa Hall-of-Famer Jerry Spieler. At BVU, he contributed to Coach
Steve Eddie's program as an infielder and relief pitcher as a freshman and sophomore before taking the ball as a starting pitcher as a junior and senior.
"With Coaches Eddie, (Steve) Sonka and (Ryan) Dupic, I got to see the behind-the-scenes look at how coaches run a successful program," says Barta, who enjoyed his time in 2008 as a volunteer assistant coach with the Beavers. "I learned about the influence that culture plays in a program moving forward."
A few Beavers have played a role in keeping the Johnston Dragons playing at an elite level. James Stone, a BVU graduate in 2012, served as an assistant coach, while 2017 graduate Riley Bach used to coach the local American Legion team, a unit now directed by Griffin Hatten, a former Beaver who graduated in 2013.
Like his collegiate head coach, Barta says the relationships he maintains with former players gives him the most satisfaction. "We try to do a couple of alumni nights each year," he says. "Those are highlights for me."
As are the friendships he made at BVU during his playing days, bonds cemented over bus rides, flights, and weeklong trips that started each season.
"My favorite baseball memories from BVU are all the spring trips we made to places like Tennessee and Arizona, just being with my teammates on the road," he says. "I'll never forget those times."
