July 31, 2007

NEW ORLEANS, La. - Tulane University baseball standout Aja Barto was one of 44 student-athletes selected to participate in the 2007 Under Armour Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star Game, earning the starting left field position for the Western Division.

A rising junior from Houston, Texas, Barto has starred for the Falmouth Commodores during the first half of the Cape season. He ranks second in the league with 15 stolen bases and ranks second on the team with a .270 batting average. He started all 34 games in the outfield for the Commodores and has four doubles, two homers and nine RBI to his credit so far this summer.

Barto's 18 walks ranks tied for second on the squad and his .384 on-base percentage ranks third. In the All-Star Game - played Saturday, Aug. 28, at Spillane Field in Wareham, Mass. - Barto hit fifth in the lineup and went 0-for-2. He did record a putout before being replaced in the sixth inning.

As a sophomore last season, Barto led the Green Wave with six home runs and four triples while hitting .269 (49-for-182) with seven doubles and 28 RBI. He successfully swiped seven of 10 stolen base attempts and was flawless in the outfield with 80 putouts and three assists.

Barto was one of two Conference USA players named to the Cape Cod All-Star Game, joining East Carolina reliever T.J. Hose. He was also one of three student-athletes from a Louisiana school to earn All-Star honors, joining LSU first baseman Sean Ochinko and Southeastern Louisiana pitcher Wade Miley, who were named reserves on the East and West squads, respectively.