ST. AUGUSTINE — How do you honor 37 years of a career as a baseball coach and as an athletics director? Where do you start?
Flagler College recently honored Dave Barnett. One of the keynote speakers was Flagler's first Major Leaguer, Chris Barnwell. He was one of many former players on hand to watch the current Saints play against Augusta University, but also to honor their former coach.
"I think the best compliment a coach can get is when a player says at the time it was tough, but I really appreciate the life lessons you taught me through baseball, because it has served me well in the profession I'm in, being a father, or being a husband," said Barnett, a Eustis native who played at Seminole Community College and also worked for Wes Rinker’s Florida Baseball School at Historic Sanford Memorial Stadium. "Our alumni are proud to have played at Flagler.”
In 1988, the program was in its 14th year of existence. The Florida Sun Conference was still several years away (1992) and the present location of the baseball diamond was not where it is today. It didn't take long for first-year head coach Dave Barnett to win his first game. That came against the College of Boca Raton (now Lynn University) on Feb. 13, 1988 in just his second game. Who knew that 1,050 more wins would follow.
"I was just 30 years old at the time," said Barnett. "I was just thinking of building a program.”
Part of that began with the facility. Dugouts didn't exist. There were benches without any covering. Seating was limited as baseball shared three sets of bleachers with soccer, which sat about 50 people. Lights hadn't figured into the equation yet so most of the games were played at 3 p.m.
"The biggest thing I wanted to do was establish a reputation for Flagler baseball," said Barnett. "I sent a letter to every high school coach in the state to introduce our program.”
So much has changed. Flagler moved from the NAIA to NCAA Division II, and that happened when he was the athletics director, a position he held from 1994 to 2009. He had the vision of what is now Drysdale Field.
The Saints qualified for conference and regional play 16 out of the 20 years they competed in the NAIA. Flagler was one game away from the NAIA World Series on two occasions – 1993 and 2002.
There have been 51 players who have signed professional contracts and 20 were selected in Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft. Chris Barnwell became the first player to reach the majors in 2006 with the Milwaukee Brewers. Since then, he has been joined by Kyle Bird and Blair Calvo. In fact, last year alone, there were five people who have ties to Flagler in the Majors. Calvo made an appearance on the hill for the Colorado Rockies, but Shane Livensparger (former cross country runner) was an umpire, Chis Holt was the pitching coach for the Baltimore Orioles, Zach Bove was a coaching with the Kansas City Royals, and Jimmy Leo was a bullpen catcher for the Atlanta Braves. Plus, there are several other former players in scouting roles with professional teams.
Barnett is in several halls of fame, including Flagler's Athletics hall and the American Baseball Coaches Association's hall.
So, what's the answer to the question of how do you honor someone like Coach Barnett? Have players from the late 1980's to recent graduates thank you for impacting their lives at one of the last home games in a storied career. Oh, and sweeping a three-game series to close out the regular-season.
Barnett ends his career with a coaching record of 1,054-873 (.547).
During his 15 years as Athletics Director, Flagler added women’s golf, women’s soccer and fast-pitch softball to the athletics program. He oversaw the construction of the baseball stadium, softball stadium and major renovations to the soccer field and Flagler Gym. Under Barnett’s leadership, the program won two Florida Sun Conference Commissioner’s Cups and Barnett was named NAIA Region XIV Athletics Director of the Year in 2001.
Since the baseball team joined the Peach Belt Conference in 2010, Flagler made six conference tournament appearances and were crowned regular season co-champs in 2019.
Having coached at every level of the game, Barnett got his coaching start at Jacksonville’s Episcopal High School in 1983. After graduating with a bachelor’s from Flagler, Barnett served as an assistant at the University of Iowa (1984-86) while obtaining a master’s in educational administration.
He then moved back to Florida to assist at Valencia Community College. He coached at the Boardwalk & Baseball facility in Haines City before accepting the head coaching position at Flagler in 1987. In the summer of 2002 and 2003, Barnett served as the manager of the Vermont Expos, a Class A affiliate of the Montreal Expos in the New York-Penn League. He also has international coaching experience in Holland and Italy.
As a collegiate player, Barnett’s career began at Seminole Community College in Sanford before transferring to the University of North Carolina. He led the Tar Heels in batting average in 1978 and helped lead the team to the College World Series. Following his successful collegiate career, Barnett signed a free agent contract with the Montreal Expos.
After one season, he returned to Sanford to work for Wes Rinker as an instructor with Florida Baseball Schools where a chance event allowed him to join the world-famous four-man fast-pitch softball team “The King & His Court”, which featured the legendary Eddie Feigner. He barnstormed the world from 1980-83, and again in 1988, as the team’s shortstop. A Lifetime ABCA Member, Barnett was inducted into the St. Augustine/St. Johns County Hall of Fame in 2008 and has been presented in coaching clinics all around the United States.
Shackleford now a Saint
Former Seminole High School standout Josiah Shackleford, a 6-foot-4, 185-pound guard, has signed to play men’s basketball at Flagler College.
The Sanford native was named the 2023-2024 SAC Player of the Year after averaging 22.9-points, 6.6-rebounds, 3.1-assists and 3.1-steals per game in leading Coach Sylvester Wynn’s Fighting Seminoles to a 22-8 record and a spot in the Regional Championship Game.
