By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

BAY ST. LOUIS — Justin Barna was recently named as the new head baseball coach at Bay High.

Barna, a graduate of Harrison Central, has spent the past seven seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater under recent Red Rebel mentor Neil Frederic.

This is Barna’s first job as a prep head coach.

“I am so excited for coach Barna and this tremendous opportunity for him and his family,” Frederic said. “Justin is such a hard worker who was shown the correct path by his highly supportive parents. I know Justin has already knocked the doors down to the little things that have to be done to be successful. A head coach has many hats to wear and I know Justin has a good grasp of what needs to be done after working shoulder to shoulder with me. I have no doubts he is going to do everything he can to empower those around him. I will miss seeing him every day but it’s his turn to lead his program. I can’t express just how proud of him I am and I know he will win every day by forming those relationships.”

Barna was part of a staff at HCHS that led the Red Rebels to the state playoffs five times, including three out of the past four years since the Covid season of 2020 was cut short before not qualifying this past season.

He was a member of the Red Rebel squad in 2013 that won the Class 6A South State championship and fell in the state finals to Southaven along with Bobby Bradley and Derrick Mount among others

Barna takes over a Tiger program for departing Bay High mentor B.J. Corr, who guided his team to the Class 4A South State playoffs for the past four years.

Corr, a Bay High alum, came back home to the Tigers in 2021 from Loranger (la.) High.

He was named the head coach at St. Thomas Aquinas in Hammond, Louisiana the following year and spent four years in that position before returning to Bay High School to be an assistant coach for three years for the high school team. Corr has spent the last three years as the head coach of Loranger High School in Loranger, Louisiana. The Wolves were the district 8-3A District Champsin 2021 under his direction.

Prior to that, he served in the same post at St. Thomas Aquinas High in Hammond, La., for four seasons.