By Sue Moore
Joey McCowen, the Vicksburg baseball team’s starting pitcher in 2019, will play for Spring Arbor University in 2020. He signed a letter of intent to play for the NAIA team when Coach Ryan Marken came to Vicksburg.
“We saw him play last summer for the West Michigan Broncos and liked his selection of pitches,” Marken said. “He throws fast, has a good curve ball, slider and change up. Plus, we could see that he was very competitive on the mound. The team is going to build around the pitchers we are recruiting, so Joey is an integral part of our plan.”
The Spring Arbor Cougars have had plenty of success in the past; Coach Marken in 2007 played shortstop on a team that was runner-up for a national championship. “I went into coaching to help young men develop as a person and graduate. I liked McCowen because he was so competitive and willing to learn,” Marken said.
McCowen started on the Bulldog football team the last two years at wide receiver and cornerback. “I thought my future was in baseball and now plan to concentrate on my pitching with travel ball and then with my teammates at Ed Knapp field this spring,” McCowen said. He has a 3.2 GPA and expects to major in finance and accounting at Spring Arbor.