VALDOSTA — James Barrett knows the payoff of hard work and dedication.

The Lowndes County native has been playing sports, and in particular slow-pitch softball, since he was large enough to do so, he said.

“My love of sports began when I was big enough to play,” Barrett said.

At 62, Barrett is still going strong, playing in area leagues and tournaments and putting men half his age to shame on the softball field.

Not that Barrett believes he is better, or even thinks his skills alone win games or championships.

Barrett, who has coached and played a myriad of sports, knows the value of teamwork and the camaraderie of the events are what makes it so special for him, he said.

The softball pitcher is not one who seeks accolades or recognition but it seems to follow him in the most unusual of ways.

Barrett resembles a familiar face for many people, especially those who have a passion for racing and a love of NASCAR.

Before Dale Earnhardt’s death in 2001, Barrett would often get stopped at race tracks in Georgia and Florida by those wanting a picture with a legend.

Like most things in

Barrett’s life, the uncanny resemblance with his favorite driver amuses him.

While at the race track in Cordele, a young woman approached him and asked him for a picture to send back home to her mother in Ohio.

As Barrett hesitated on what to do, the girl’s fiancé told Barrett to just take the picture, he said.“Here comes Earnhardt,” Barrett said.

He enjoyed watching Earnhardt race because of his determination to be the best, Barrett said.

Like Earnhardt, Barrett likes to win, but enjoys playing sports whether he wins or loses.

Racing, like sports, has been a part of his life since he was a child. He has raced dune buggies and his sons have raced legend cars at local tracks.

But Barrett’s passion remains softball.

“Its always been my dream to play,” Barrett said. “I’ve played softball since I was 15 years old.”

He started playing in the outfield but over the years he transitioned to the pitcher’s mound.

Barrett pitches right-handed but hits left handed.

During peak season, Barrett said he can play up to four times a week, not counting weekend tournaments.

Years ago Barrett said he pitched a no-hitter during a championship game, something he couldn’t have done without the talent behind him, he said.

“A lot of the credit goes to the guys I play ball with,” Barrett said. “The things I’ve done, like winning a tournament MVP award, wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t have good guys to play with.”

Barrett was named Most Valuable Player during the 2009 Miss Fannie Mae’s annual benefit tournament in Nashville.

He finds it amusing during the softball season when guys in their twenties struggle through a game. He tells them they probably won’t make it to next season unless they are willing to work.

“I hope some of the guys get to a certain age and still do the same thing,” Barrett said. “I feel fantastic.”

Those that want to call Barrett an old man are more than welcome to, he said.

“Call me an old man, I’ll go out there and out-play you,” he said.

People constantly ask Barrett how old he is and if a person guesses, they generally give an age several years younger than 62, he said.

Playing softball is a good way to stay in shape, Barrett said.

“That’s the most important thing, being outside doesn’t cost anything,” he said. “You can’t lay in the house on the couch all the time.”

Barrett usually plays for his church team, New Season Church of God, but sometimes puts together different groups to play in tournaments, he said.

All three of his sons, Shawn, Jason and Jamie Barrett, play with him, a fact that has sometimes served as a deterrent when trying to enter tournaments.

They called themselves the morticians at one tournament as an attempt to get in under the radar, Barrett said.

It worked, until Barrett was approached at a water fountain by players from another team that were worried about the team that had one three in a row.

That team was Barrett’s, who played it cool until a teammate approached him and blew his cover, he said.

“You should have seen the worry on their faces,” Barrett said.

Like all athletes, Barrett has had his share of injuries and close calls.

During a tournament in Nashville several years ago, Barrett said he was  struck in the head when an opposing player knocked a line drive right back to the pitcher’s mound.

He put his glove up to cover his face and while the leather glove did soften the impact, it did not keep Barrett from being knocked out.

“When I came to, all I saw were feet since everyone was standing around me,” Barrett said.

He spent a couple of days in the hospital and then went to visit a local neurologist who told Barrett he shouldn’t play for six weeks.

Two days after the visit, Barrett was back on the mound.

The pitcher’s mound is a dangerous spot, Barrett said, and some hitters try to hit right down the middle instead of putting it up and over the infield.

Barrett said he doesn’t practice much and has trouble explaining his technique when it comes to pitching.

He does know that his pitches are lower than his brother’s, William Barrett, who also plays.

As long as they drop in the sweet spot directly behind the plate, the umpire will call a strike, he said.

“I’m always honored when people say ‘Hey man, we want you to come pitch for us,” Barrett said.

Barrett has coached baseball, softball and football at the Boys and Girls Club and even spent several years as the coach of the Valdosta Red Sox.

Having a son wrestle at Lowndes High School also got him involved with the wrestling program, he said.

Barrett has four children, though he experienced a loss that no parent ever wants to be a part of in 2009. In October of last year, Barrett’s only daughter, Tracy Barrett, was killed in a car accident.

Though Barrett clearly grieves for his daughter, he is well aware that things of that nature cannot be controlled.

“It happens and you can’t help that,” Barrett said.

Over the years Barrett has incorporated others into his family. He and Belinda Bardon have been together for many years and she and her two children, Eric Boyd and Jesse Wilson are people he holds dear to his heart, he said.

Together Bardon and Barrett have two grandchildren, Austin Wilson and Madison Barrett.

When not on the softball field, Barrett can be found at the Bug Barn on Highway 41, a family owned business.

Barrett lives in a house he and his family have spent several years rebuilding.

The house once stood in Remerton, close to Blazer’s Tavern and was moved out to the Barrett property close to Wild Adventures.

The house was in disrepair after the move but Barrett, his family and others have worked tirelessly to rebuild, remodel and add-on to the former mill house.

The house now has cedar walls, custom archways and a large porch.

Work still needs to be done but Barrett said he marvels everyday at the transformation the home has undergone.