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Barth, Mika to Return GOP Baseball Team Practice

Roger Williams staffer is ‘absolutely’ ready to return to practice

Zack Barth, an aide to Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, was wounded in the leg during the Congressional baseball shooting in Alexandria in June 2017. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)
Zack Barth, an aide to Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, was wounded in the leg during the Congressional baseball shooting in Alexandria in June 2017. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Zack Barth is eager to get back on the baseball field after he and his friends — members of Congress — were shot at last year while practicing for the annual congressional game.

Barth, a legislative assistant to Texas Rep. Roger Williams, took a bullet in his leg on June 14, 2017. He will be back on the same field at the GOP team’s first practice on Wednesday.

“I’m excited, I’m excited to get back out there with the team,” he said. “We haven’t all been in the same place for a bit so it’s going to be good to see the guys and get to get back out and get ready to beat the Democrats.”

Barth was feeding fly balls back to the infield when the shooter opened fire. He was running toward the first-base dugout when a 7.62 mm bullet went through his leg, missing all major arteries and bones.

When asked if he is 100 percent to play baseball, he said “absolutely.”

“I feel good,” he said.

His boss, Williams, is also ready and in shape to play. He sprained his ankle from careening into the dugout during the shooting.

Tysons Food Lobbyist Matt Mika will also be at the first practice.

Mika was practicing with the team when he was shot in his chest, just millimeters away from his heart, and in his left arm.

Mika’s injuries were the most severe case for paramedics, the New York Times reported.

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who is still recovering, was also shot, as was Crystal Griner a Capitol Police officer on his security detail.

Capitol Police officer David Bailey, the other member of Scalise’s detail, was injured during an exchange with the shooter.

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