CPP baseball has struggled out of the gate this season, as the Broncos have an overall record of 13-17 and are 11-13 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).
One key player who has hit an offensive rough patch is sophomore shortstop Drew Cowley.
Last season as a first year, Cowley was the Broncos’ second-best hitter as he batted .348 for the season and contributed with 70 hits in his 201 at-bats.
Not only was Cowley a consistent hitter, he was also one of the best run producers, as he was fourth on the team with 29 runs batted in.
Those statistics earned Cowley All-CCAA honorable mention honors.
“Last year I was happy with how I ended the season and going into this year there were little things that I wanted to try to work on to improve and we haven’t been getting the results this year, but I’m staying on the course and keep working on the little things,” Cowley said.
Cowley currently has a batting average of .150 in his 19 games started and has nine hits in his 60 at-bats this season.
Although the hits aren’t coming for Cowley, he is still one of the Broncos’ top RBI hitters.
“Scouting report gets out and he’s a sophomore and we all heard the sophomore jinx and that’s probably what everyone is thinking,” head coach Randy Betten said. “He’s still working hard, and the ball just isn’t going his way.”
Last season, Cowley batted in the top of the line-up for the Broncos.
In the start of this season, Cowley was hitting in the fourth spot. The fourth spot in the lineup is reserved for the team’s best hitter. Cowley has dropped a few spots in the line-up, but he’s trying to turn things around.
Some players tend to focus on the numbers aspect of the game and tend to dig themselves in a deeper hole trying to pull themselves out of it, but Cowley isn’t focused on the numbers this season.
“I try to not get caught up with the numbers because it can play in your head a little bit, but I just find ways I can help the team. There is always something you can do even if you aren’t producing as you want to,” Cowley said.
Defensively, Cowley is still one the best fielders for the Broncos as he only committed two errors at the shortstop position, a position which can be considered one of the most difficult to play in baseball.
As a team, the Broncos are eighth in the CCAA in hitting, as the team is batting .278 while remaining tied for second in hits and runs batted in.
They are struggling on their slugging percentage as they rank eighth in conference at .390. Also, the Broncos are ranked ninth in conference in on-base percentage with .360.
The team is currently sitting in eighth in the CCAA rankings, as we have reached the halfway point of the season. The top six teams will make the CCAA tournament in hopes of qualifying for an NCAA bid.
If the Broncos look to make a push into the postseason, there is no doubt Cowley will need to turn things around heading into the second part of this season.
“I’m excited about the second half, and what the second half has to say,” Betten said. “Maybe he doesn’t bat .300 this year — doesn’t mean he’s not a great player, it’s just not going his way this year.”
