Pacific Lutheran athletics photos

TACOMA, Washington - Being a two-sport athlete is a tough assignment.

It becomes even tougher when a global pandemic forces the two sports that are usually conducted in opposite seasons to be played simultaneously. But it's a challenge Pacific Lutheran University sophomore student-athlete Ashton Barton tackled head on this spring, suiting up for both the football and baseball teams over a seven-day stretch.
 
On Feb. 20, Barton was the Lutes' starting linebacker in their first home game in 470 days, collecting three tackles playing inside Sparks Stadium, the same field he played on during his prep career at Rogers High School. Fast forward to Feb. 26, and the Puyallup, Washington native was behind home plate as a catcher in PLU's 14-4 season opening win over Linfield. 
 
While it was a Herculean challenge, it was a challenge that both head coaches knew Barton could handle. 
 
"He's been burning the candle at both ends but I think it was a good experience for him. When he approached me back in August about doing this I was supportive of it. I'm a big football guy and I promote having two-sport guys and knew if anybody could do it, it was him and he did a really good job for the football team and I fully expect him to do a good job for us as well," Lutes baseball coach Nolan Soete said. 
 
Barton's been an impact player for both teams this season. As a linebacker, Barton started the Lutes' opening two football games and finished with 11 total tackles and one quarterback hurry. On the diamond, Barton has started three of the team's opening four games with two RBIs, two runs scored, and a .400 on-base percentage. Behind the plate, Barton has a sterling 1.000 fielding percentage, having recorded 31 putouts with no errors. 
 
"We know that the condensed seasons due to COVID would have a major impact on our two-sport athletes, but I can't think of a better example of how to handle that from one athlete than Ashton. When we saw this coming, Coach Soete and I gave Ashton the choice to focus on baseball since he lost an entire season in 2020 or to play both since the seasons staggered a little," said football coach Brant McAdams.
 
"We got together to compare practice schedules and see how possible it could be and Ashton was completely for it. I encouraged him to get some preseason football practices in and then go focus on baseball when their practices started, but he wanted to compete. We both emphasized that he needs to stay on top of his academics if he wanted to take on this challenge. It's hardly looked like a challenge for him. He was so on top of everything, it's looked more like an incredible memory. He's not just a leader by example on both of our teams, he's been a leader in the department and on campus. If it's important to you, you'll find a way to get it done and Ashton has more than done that."  

  
The opportunity for Barton to play two different sports in the span of a week was something that never previously crossed his mind. 
 
"I honestly didn't even know if I could do this but it was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm grateful that I was able to do it and get through it. It was really fun," said Barton.

The juggling of both activities on top of his studies as a business major were definitely a challenge this spring for Barton who was thankful that both coaches were able to accommodate his goal to play both sports this semester. 

"It was pretty busy, not going to lie. Definitely a mental challenge just trying to balance sports and school, and other variables in my life. I would have workouts in the morning from 6 a.m. weights during J-Term, then I would have class from 11:30 to 12:30, then I'd go from either football to baseball, or baseball to football. I'd rotate every other day. It was a pretty busy time but I was able to get through it and I really enjoyed it, it was a great experience."

While the two sports may be vastly different, Barton carries a similar mindset in both sports playing two positions – catcher and linebacker – that embrace physicality, toughness, and the need to be a leader for your defensive teammates. 

"I think a big thing (that's similar in both sports) is being a leader on the field. Being a linebacker, I'm getting the play calls, I'm trying to run the defense. Being a catcher, I'm trying to communicate with the whole team as well. Letting them know everybody's situation on the field, just the main focus is trying to be a leader."

With the baseball season now in full swing, Barton hangs up the shoulder pads until next fall as he plans to be a key piece of a squad that once again competes for the Northwest Conference title and the chance to extend the Lutes' streak as the only conference institution to qualify for the NWC tournament every year.