Aug. 14, 2007

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Former University of Memphis catcher and student assistant coach Cory Barton has been hired as the Tiger Baseball program's Volunteer Assistant coach Head Baseball Coach Daron Schoenrock announced today. A two-year letterwinner for the Tigers, Barton will replace Allen Osborne, who took the head coaching post at Wingate University in North Carolina.

"I am excited to continue to be involved in the development of Cory's (Barton) coaching career," Schoenrock stated. "He will be loyal to our program. He knows our system. And the players will respect his work ethic."

Barton will be responsible for overseeing Tiger Baseball summer camps, summer youth tournaments held at Nat Buring Stadium, as well as the upkeep and maintenance of Tom DeHart Field.

A native of Trussville, Ala., Barton has been associated with the Memphis baseball program for the last three seasons. He earned a pair of letters as the Tigers starting catcher in 2005-06, before taking a student coaching position in 2007.

In his playing career, Barton saw action in 94 games, making 86 starts. A career .252 hitter, the 2006 Tiger co-captain hit six home runs and drove in 49 runs. The most notable moment of his Tiger career came on April 17, 2005, when his 10th-inning walkoff blast ended an 11-game losing streak and gave Memphis a 6-5 win over No. 30 TCU.

Prior to coming to Memphis, Barton won two letters behind the plate for Shelton State where he was a Second team All-Alabama Community College Conference performer and led SSCC to a North Division crown in 2004.