Aug. 8, 2006

GRAMBLING, La. -- Grambling State University Director of Athletics, Troy Mathieu, announced that Barret L. Rey has been selected as the fourth head baseball coach in school history. Rey comes to Grambling State after serving an eight-year stint as assistant coach for the Southern University baseball program.

A four-year letterman at Southern from 1994 to 1997, Rey was a two-time All-SWAC pitcher and participated on two SWAC Championship teams and appeared in two NCAA Baseball Regionals. Rey concluded his career at Southern with a 21-6 career record that included 156 strikeouts, 13 complete games and three shutouts. Other accomplishments Rey achieved as a player include an undefeated record (7-0) in 1994 along with spots in the school record book for single-season wins, ERA, win-loss percentage, innings pitched, strikeouts and fewest hits, runs, earned runs and walks allowed.

Upon graduation, Rey traded his glove in and joined the Jaguar staff as an assistant coach in 1998. As an assistant, he made his mark by serving as the team's pitching coach and helped guide the Jaguars to six SWAC Championships and NCAA Regional appearances. In 2003, after posting a 47-7 (28-1 SWAC) overall record, Rey also played a large role in leading the Jaguars to their highest seed in school history (3) and a victory over No. 1 seeded Southern Mississippi in the first round of the Hattiesburg Regional.

Also during that season, the Jaguars featured the No. 2 overall pick in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft (Rickie Weeks) and Rey played a key role in recruiting six players who were drafted by professional baseball organizations. During his tenure as an assistant, Rey has been considered one of the finest recruiters in the nation as several classes have been nationally ranked by numerous publications, along with 21 players drafted by Major League Baseball clubs.

"I'm very familiar with the baseball tradition at Grambling State dating back to President Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones (who served as the school's first baseball coach) and Coach Wilbert Ellis. I really feel that this is a great opportunity for me and I'm really excited and ready to do some outstanding things at Grambling State", says Rey.

"We (Southern baseball family) are extremely happy for Barret. It has been one of his goals as an assistant coach since he started here, to elevate to a head coaching position, and after several years, he is finally getting his opportunity. We wish him well and we hope he can revitalize the GSU program that had fallen on hard times in the last few years", says Southern baseball Coach, Roger Cador.

Rey holds both a bachelor's of science degree in Psychology ('97) and a master's degree in Therapeutic Recreation ('03) from Southern. He's married to the former Melanie Powell of Baker, La. and they are the proud parents of Barrett, Jr. (2).