LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky junior outfielder Collin Cowgill has been named to roster for the 44th-annual 2007 Cape Cod League Summer All-Star game, the league announced Saturday.
Cowgill has been on a blistering pace for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, batting .301 (28-for-93) in 27 games. Cowgill, a native of Lexington, Ky., has ripped three doubles, two triples, and two home runs. Playing centerfield for the Red Sox, Cowgill has driven in 14 RBI, walked 12 times, and swiped 7-of-11 bases, good for a .441 slugging percentage and a .393 on-base percentage. In his last three games, Cowgill has batted 4-for-9 with four runs scored, two RBI, three walks, a double, and no strikeouts.
Cowgill joins former UK centerfielder Antone DeJesus as Wildcats named to the prestigious All-Star team in the past two years. A year ago, Cowgill entered the season as a National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason All-American before being sidelined for the entire 2007 slate with a hand injury. Cowgill, who Baseball America named the Best Outfield Arm in the SEC in the preseason, took a medical redshirt on the season, and despite not having played an inning in 2007 for the Wildcats, was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the June 2007 MLB Draft. During the Wildcats 2006 Southeastern Conference Championship run, Cowgill batted .298 with 16 home runs and 61 RBI.
Collegiate summer baseball leagues provide college players the opportunity to travel around the country and compete in a minor league atmosphere. Players utilize wooden bats and spend the summer competing against similar teams in each respective league. Kentucky has over 20 players participating in seven different leagues during the 2007 summer. The Cape Cod League is widely regarded as the top collegiate baseball league in the country, as 198 current MLB players can claim having spent a summer at the Cape.
The All-Star game is scheduled for Saturday, July 28 with first pitch at 6 pm at Wareham’s Spillane Field.
Summer League Scrapbook
Cowgill is not the only Wildcat on the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in the Cape Cod League, joining 6-foot-8, 245-pound fireballing right-hander Scott Green on the club. Green has pitched in six games with five starts, totaling 26 1/3 innings and 19 strikeouts. Green, a MLB Draft choice of the Boston Red Sox, has tallied a 1-1 record, one save, and a 2.39 ERA, allowing only seven earned runs.
Among the other notable Wildcat summer success stories is freshman outfielder Bryan Rose, who was named a New York Collegiate Baseball League All-Star earlier this month. Rose is batting .312 (29-for-93), with six doubles, 27 walks to only 17 strikeouts, a .492 on-base percentage, and seven steals. Catcher Marcus Nidiffer is also in the NYCBL, having cranked out two homers for the Webster Yankees.
Freshman Michael Seaborn has been on an absolute tear this summer, batting for a .317 (35-for-104) average and leading his team with six home runs. Seaborn, who is slugging for a .558 percentage, has doubled seven times and driven in 21 runs. Outfielder Brock Wright is also a member of Seaborn?s NYCBL team, totaling three home runs and seven stolen bases.
Sawyer Carroll, who reached base safely in 51 of UK?s 54 games in 2007, is batting .279 (25-for-91) for the Lacrosse Loggers in the Northwoods League. Carroll, who led the Southeastern Conference in 2007 with 23 doubles, has ripped five two baggers and rocketed two home runs.
Brian Spear, who in 2007 set the UK school record for walks in a season with 53, is batting .289 (37-for-128) in 37 games for the Rochester Honkers of the Northwoods League. Spear has boosted four home runs and driven in 18 RBI.
Outfielder Keenan Wiley, who came on strong towards the end of the 2007 season, is batting .277 (18-for-65), and has swiped 12-of-12 bases in 22 games for Lima in the Great Lakes League.
Catcher Tyler Howe has performed double duty for his summer club, Outer Banks of the Coastal Plains League. Howe has played in 37 games, totaling 124 at bats and 12 RBI. Howe has been more vital for his club on the mound, notching a 2-1 record and a 0.69 ERA in five games on the hill. Howe has totaled 13 innings, allowed four hits, one earned run, and struck out eight for Outer Banks.
Freshman infielder Chris Wade has tallied a .276 (40-for-145) batting average, with one home run, 17 RBI, six doubles, three triples, and 15 walks, in 36 games in the Western Major Baseball League.
Right-handed pitcher Clint Tilford has pitched in seven games with four starts for the Torrington Twisters of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. Tilford is 3-0 in 25 2/3 innings of action, with 22 strikeouts and 13 earned runs.
Tommy Warner is one of three Wildcats playing for Covington in the Valley League. Warner has totaled a 4-1 record, a 2.72 ERA, in eight games with seven starts. In 43 innings, Warner has struck out 44 and allowed only 13 earned runs.
