Brownsburg High School Day at Reds Cardinals Thursday

Tucker Barnhart will get his first major league start against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, weather permitting.

It may be new to the 23-year old from Brownsburg, Indiana, a town of 21,000 plus people, 138 miles from Cincinnati.  There will be a familiar face on the mound, not Homer Bailey the Reds starter but Lance Lynn, the Cardinal's starter.

Lynn pitched for Brownsburg High.

Barnhart started for the Bulldogs as a freshman, he caught Washington Nationals pitcher Drew Storen.  Lynn was a 2005 graduate while Barnhart graduated in 2009. The Reds chose him in the 10th round.

Lynn was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the sixth round of the 2005 draft but elected to attend the University of Mississippi instead.  The Cardinals picked him with a supplemental first round pick in 2008. He was the 39th player taken in that draft.

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Barnhart was slated to go to Louisville for his first year of Triple A ball.  An oblique injury that will keep Devin Mesoraco out of action for a short period of time, gave Barnhart an early chance to catch in the major leagues.

Barnhart was on the 40-man roster while Corky Miller was not.  The Reds had a choice to go a week with Barnhart rather than risk losing a player from the 40-man roster by adding the more experienced Miller.

Barnhart, who is a switch hitter, hit .260 for Pensacola last season with three home runs and 44 RBI.

This spring, Barnhart's third big league camp, he appeared in 10 games 5-for-18 (.278) with no home runs and 3 RBI.