Posted by Chris Megginson - Wed, Jul 7, 2010 - [Where Are They Now - Baseball]
Missoula Osprey DH Richie Rowland hits a grounder Monday against the Helena Brewers. (Missoulian Photo/Linda Thompson)
Former
Campbellsville University catcher Richie Rowland continues to be on a hot streak as
he makes his rookie debut for the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. Rowland, who
is in his third week of Minor League Baseball, was named the Pioneer League Offensive
Player of the Week Tuesday for the week ending July 4.
Rowland, playing primarily as designated hitter for the Missoula Osprey squad, hit
successfully in every game during the week as he extended his consecutive game hit
streak to 11 Sunday. During the week, he hit .462 with two
doubles, two home runs, five RBI, six runs scored and a walk. In 27 plate
appearances, he struck out twice. The hit streak grew to 12 on Monday with a
480-foot home run, his third in as many days, and moved to 13 games with a ninth
inning single Tuesday.
"I'm just trying to get into fastball counts," Rowland told
local paper The Missoulian on Monday. "I'm just trying to find a good
place to hit in the strike zone. Luckily, I'm getting the pitches to hit and
I'm not missing them."
Rowland, a 6-foot-3 catcher from Cloverdale, Calif., opted off other organizations'
MLB Draft boards and joined the Diamondbacks organization as a non-drafted free
agent when his younger brother Robby was selected in the third-round of the
2010 Draft.
"(Richie) has made the Diamondbacks front office look very wise for grabbing
the duo," wrote MiLB.com contributing writer Josh Jackson in Tuesday's release.
For the season, Rowland leads the Pioneer League in hitting (.451) and on base
plus slugging percentage (1.197), while sitting in the Top 10 for total bases
(36) and home runs (3). He is the second
Osprey to receive a Pioneer League weekly honor as Daniel Taylor was named the
league's Pitcher of the Week on June 29.
During the 2010 season for Campbellsville University, Rowland led the team in hitting
(.372), RBI (61) and home runs (11). He was second in doubles with 16 through 64
games played. His longest hit streak at CU was six games on three separate occasions
during the 2010 season.
To keep track of Rowland's career, visit the below links.
