Baseball Bolsters Class of 2018 with Barber & Meli

QUINCY, Mass.- Eastern Nazarene first-year head baseball coach Addison Rouse has announced the additions of Bobby Barber and Joe Meli to the program's incoming class next fall.

Barber hails from Long Island, N.Y., where he is in his senior year at Sachem North High School.

A pitcher and first baseman, he has played varsity baseball for the past three seasons.

Barber also plays on the Long Island Prospects squad managed by Joe Mongiello.

His pitching coach, Kevin Salmon, played in the Philadelphia Phillies farm system. Barber's hitting coach, Pat Lennon, enjoyed stints in the major leagues with the Kansas City Royals, Oakland A's and Toronto Blue Jays.

Barber trains at Play Like A Pro where he works with Matt Guiliano, a former infielder in the Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays organizations. He also trains with former major leaguer Keith Osik at MLI. Osik played nine seasons in the major leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals.

Barber helped his squad claim back-to-back titles at the Diamond Nations Blue Chip Prospect Showcase.

During the summer months, Barber volunteers at Camp Kehilla for special needs children. He is also an assistant coach with the under-16 Long Island Prospects and a certified umpire for the National Juniors Baseball League.

"When we envision the future of ENC baseball, Bobby is exactly the type of player who is going to help take this program to another level. He will immediately compete to be a part of our pitching rotation as a freshman," said Rouse. "Bobby continues to get stronger and develop, which means he has a chance to be really special on the mound. He is also a great young man who participates in many community service endeavors off the field."

Barber plans to major in Sports Management at Eastern Nazarene.

Meli is a product of Londonderry, N.H., where he currently attends Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua, N.H. where he is a member of the varsity baseball team.

He is also on the Baseball Factory national roster where he participates in competitions in Omaha, Neb. and Mesa, Ariz.

Meli also plays for The Show Baseball Academy based out of Lawrence, Mass. This summer, Meli will suit up for The Show Baseball Academy's under-18 showcase team coached by former major leaguers Steve Lomasney and Jeff Allsion. Lomasney is the owner of The Show Baseball Academy and former catcher in the Boston Red Sox organization while Allison was a pitcher in the Florida Marlins organization.

Meli is rated as the top ranked catcher in New Hampshire by Perfect Game USA, the world's largest baseball scouting service.

He intends on majoring in Computer Science at Eastern Nazarene.

"I could not be more excited about the addition of Joe to our recruiting class. He is an explosive player and we think he will step into our lineup immediately and contribute at the college level," commented Rouse. "Defensively, he has a very developed skill set coming out of high school. Off the field, he comes from a great family and we believe that he will be a true asset to the ENC community."

"I have been a catcher since I was six years old and I am excited to be fulfilling my dream of playing collegiate baseball at ENC," stated Meli.

With the additions of Barber and Meli, Rouse strengthens his first recruiting class after welcoming Caleb Lynch and Eric Shea earlier in the year.