College Baseball Daily continues our countdown to the start of the 2011 College Baseball season by checking in on the Top 100 Players in the country. We will be providing one player per day until we reach number 1.
We continue the list today at number 9 with UConn junior RHP Matt Barnes. The Bethel, Connecticut, native attended Bethel High School where he was a three year letter winner. He earned multiple awards in his high school career including picking up All-Colonial Division honors as a junior, earned All-Conference, All-State (Class L), a Connecticut High School Coaches Association All-Star as a senior, and a 2008 Rawling Pre-Season All-Region Team member.
Barnes decided to stay in his home state for his college career by heading to Storrs, CT to become a member of the UConn Huskies. As a freshman in 2009, he made 13 appearances (seven starts) as he went 5-3 with a 5.43 ERA. He ended up pitching a total of 53 innings while striking out 55 batters while walking 23. He spent the summer of 2009 with the Wareham Gatemen in the Cape Cod Baseball League. He pitched in nine games (four starts) with a 1-3 record while compiling an ERA of 4.78 in 26.1 innings of work. He finished with 33 strikeouts while walking ten.
Barnes settled into the weekend rotation as a sophomore in 2010 as he appeared in 15 games (13 starts) while 
going 8-3 with a 3.92 ERA. He led the team in strikeouts with 75 while giving up 79 hits and 25 walks. He picked up several honors including being named ABCA Northeast Region First Team, All-New England First Team, and All-Big East First Team member. He began the summer of 2010 in the Cape Cod Baseball League with the Wareham Gatemen. He started three games as he went 1-2 with a 2.18 ERA in 20.2 innings pitched. He struck out 20 while walking seven. He was invited to the 2010 USA Collegiate National Team and made the squad. He appeared in four games (three starts) as he went a perfect 3-0 with a 1.42 ERA. He pitched a total of 19 innings while striking out 26 batters while walking only five.
