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JUCO hurler Matt Barr commits to Tennessee Baseball

On3 imageby:Eric Cain•05/27/25•

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Tennessee baseball commit Matt Bar. Credit (Matt Barr Instagram)
Tennessee baseball commit Matt Bar. Credit (Matt Barr Instagram)

With the transfer portal officially opening for undergraduate students next week, Tennessee baseball got a jumpstart on the action Tuesday evening with the commitment of junior college pitcher Matt Barr.

The 6-foot-6, 195-pound righty out SUNY Niagara is draft eligible and will be a major draft risk to watch for this summer. Perfect Game tabbed the pitcher as the No. 1 JUCO prospect in their midseason rankings in early April. Barr appears at No. 145 on MLB.com’s Draft Prospect rankings as well.  

As a freshman for the Thunder Wolves this past spring, the hurler started all 10 of the games he appeared in, standing out with a 10-0 record and a 1.74 ERA across 57 innings pitched. He struck out 94 batters, walked 21 and owned a WHIP of 0.75. He allowed just one extra-base hit (double) of the 22 hits total he surrendered on the campaign.  

Barr is from Cheektowaga, NY where he attended Cheektowaga High School. With Barr’s appearance on the most recent updated MLB Draft Rankings, Tennessee boasts 15 players on the list that are currently on the team or in the 2025 recruiting class.

He’s the fourth commitment for Tennessee in recent weeks, joining RHP Clay Edmondson of UNC Asheville (grad transfer), catcher Trent Grindlinger (No. 30 overall prospect PG ’25 class) and right-handed pitcher Mason Estrada (Division II MIT). All four are draft risks.

SUNY Niagara won its ninth Region III Div. III championship this season with ace Barr leading the way on the mound.

Perfect Game on RHP Matt Barr

The lean right-hander possesses explosive stuff sitting in the mid to upper 90’s with a pair of 3000 spin breakers. Likely draft pick and a name that has gathered steam after throwing exceptionally thus far. 

MLB.com on RHP Matt Barr

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 50 | Curveball: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

Niagara County Community College, now known as SUNY Niagara, has had 10 players drafted from the program, including two pitchers in the 2023 class led by Brewers third-rounder Ryan Birchard. Barr has the chance to join Birchard as just the second Thunderwolves player to go in the top five rounds after vaulting to the top of junior college prospects lists this spring and making scouts log the miles up close to Lake Ontario to check him out.

At 6-foot-6, the long-limbed Barr oozes projection from the mound, and he already has some pretty exciting now stuff. He throws everything with a ton of spin, including a fastball he can crank up to 97 mph with good life. Both his slider and curve register elite-level spin rates and help him miss a ton of bats at the NJCAA DIII level. 

Barr’s control will need refinement; he’s shown he can be around the strike zone, but his command can be scattered. There’s conviction among scouts that, given the ease of operation and the loose and athletic delivery, he’ll be a decent strike-thrower in time. He’s a bit raw, but the ingredients are all there, including the ability to add strength, to make him an intriguing early-round possibility.

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