Augustana's best-ever baseball slugger is now an All-Star shortstop for the Sioux Falls Canaries and one of the best players the American Association of Professional Baseball. Before that, he was one of the best racquetball players in the world.

At age 16.

In an hour-long chat from Gateway Lounge with Happy Hour host John Gaskins, Jordan Barth takes us into both his baseball world full of fun stories in the dugout and on long bus trips, to his former life as a prodigy of the sport from age 6 to 16, which included numerous world junior titles and eventually contention to be the best male player on the planet, period, rising to as high as No. 22.

But Barth chose baseball, and Sioux Falls has been better for it for almost a decade. 

The St. Cloud, Minnesota, area native was a high-level true freshman on Augie's 2018 national championship and went on to break school records in career hits, doubles, RBIs, and total bases, and is second in home runs (42) runs scored. His .379 career average is seventh all-time.

Now in his third year with the Canaries, Barth was an All-Star last season and is second in the league in doubles and hits, fifth with a .331 average, and 11th in home runs (8) through 46 games. Manager Mike Meyer describes Barth as the "table setter" of the lineup, the "anchor" of the defense, and a model of consistency and durability, having missed just nine out 246 contests.

How did being a world class racquetball player help his baseball, and why did he ultimately give up (regular) competition in a sport he could have gone on to become the GOAT had he kept playing as an adult?

How does coming from long line of "goofballs" help with his clutch performing on the court and the diamond?

Listen and it is easy to understand why Barth is so well liked among teammates, coaches, and even opponents.

Before that...

South Dakotans and Iowans aren't the football fans eager to see how Mark Gronowski's magical four years of throwing darts, running for paydirt, and winning FCS national championships will translate to the sports highest level.

The senior graduate transfer may not just be a Million Dollar Man (reportedly) for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Happy Hour host John Gaskins thinks he could become a game-changer for the program... maybe even a "God."

How? Just listen to what Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman, a couple veteran national CFB writers and podcasters, said about Gronowski recently. Gaskins plucks the most important statements from a 12-minute conversation about the former Jackrabbit.

Plus, an update on the fundraising for the family of Nate White, the SDSU running back who died unexpectedly last week in Brookings, a sweet in-state score for Jacks men's hoops, and why a former SDSU baseball player was bumped out of the Sioux Falls Canaries' closer role despite crushing it through 43 games.

Speaking of the Birds, one of the biggest, strongest, and most lethal hitters the history of the club might not be with the club much longer.