Wasilla athlete goes Division I

JEREMIAH BARTZ-Sports Editor

WASILLA -- It is rare for a baseball player from the Mat-Su area to continue in the sport at the collegiate level. It is even more rare that a local player gets the opportunity to play at the Division I level.

Rare, but not unheard of.

Kyle Cowgill, who will graduate from Wasilla High School in May of 2005, signed a National Letter of Intent to join the University of California-Northridge baseball team for the 2005-06 season.

The Matadors, who finished 19-38 last season in the Division I Big West Conference, boast alumni such as Anaheim Angels infielder Adam Kennedy. The Matador roster also includes Mike Paulk, who helped the Mat-Su Miners finish second at the National Baseball Congress World Series last season.

Northridge head coach Steve Rousey cited in a press release issued by the school, Cowgill's skills as a switch-hitter with pop from both sides of the plate and said Cowgill has the ability to one day hit in the middle of the Matador lineup. Rousey also called Cowgill a top-level student athlete and one of the best recruits coming out of the state of Alaska.

Cowgill said it was academics that greatly eased the process of finding a place on the collegiate level to play baseball.

"The colleges were impressed. It made it a lot easier for me to go to school cheaper," said Cowgill, who holds a 3.8 cumulative grade point average and is in the top 10 percent of his class at WHS. "It was a big advantage."

Cowgill said Northridge offered him significant academic scholarships.

"My dad pushed me to take a lot of pride in school," said Cowgill, who grew up in a baseball family. "Find a good balance between sports and school.:

Cowgill, who could play either catcher or shortstop for the Matadors, said he had looked into several Division I programs in California, and had tried out for Division I power Southern California. Earlier this year he was named to an Alaska all-star traveling team put together by the East High School coaching staff and was able to visit several West Coast colleges.

Cowgill said Northridge's ability to offer him the academic scholarships, combined with the possibility of cracking the Matador lineup early in his career, led him to Northridge.

Shortstop is Cowgill's position of preference right now, but he added he is confident of his ability to catch. He is willing to play where he is needed most early in his career.

"I will probably play wherever I can the first year and see how that goes," Cowgill said.

Cowgill said the coaches liked his ability to hit with power from the left side of the plate, and said catching may be the quickest way to see significant playing time.

After attending high school and playing baseball in Southern California for the first two years of his prep career, Cowgill moved to Wasilla and joined the Warriors on the diamond for his junior season. He played multiple positions for the Warriors, seeing time in the infield and outfield, and was named All-Region III. Cowgill also played on the Alaska Road Warriors legion baseball squad.

Cowgill, who just turned 17 years old, said maturing both mentally and physically, and work ethic, led him to the opportunity to play Division I baseball. Before moving to Alaska, Cowgill -- a 6-foot-3, 190-pound senior, said he spent the entire year either hitting in the batting cage or doing homework.

And now, Cowgill said, it is all coming together.