College of Charleston's Champ Rowland having breakout year at the plate - Charleston Post Courier
College of Charleston baseball coach Monte Lee knew exactly what kind of player he was getting when the Cougars signed shortstop Champ Rowland out of Spartanburg Methodist junior college. After all, Lee had watched Rowland play as youngster and develop into one of the state’s top defensive shortstops at Wade Hampton High School. With his quick feet, soft hands and Major League throwing arm, Rowland was one of the best defensive shortstops in the state of South Carolina his senior season. At the plate, well, that was a different matter altogether, but that didn’t matter to Lee. “There was one reason we recruited Champ and that was because he could play defense,” Lee said. In high school, in junior college, Champ was always a tremendous defensive player. He quickly established himself as one of the top defensive shortstops in the Colonial Athletic Association, but struggled at the plate, hitting just. “I think a lot of my focus last year was on my defense, it’s something I’ve always prided myself on,” Rowland said. I wanted to hit better, be more productive at the plate, but my priority was being good defensively. Like a lot of his teammates, Rowland was almost embarrassed by the Cougars’ lack of production at the plate during last year’s Lubbock Super Regional against Texas Tech. The Cougars didn’t score a single run, losing both games 1-0 to the Red Raiders. Source: www.postandcourier.com
