Justin Cowan Season 2000

2000 - Senior
In his senior campaign, Cowan led the Huskers to a school-record 51 wins, a second straight Big 12 Tournament title, and  Nebraska's first-ever NCAA regional title. Cowan capped the season with third-team All-America honors and finishing as one of three finalists for the Johnny Bench Award, given to the nation's top collegiate catcher. He was also one of four Huskers to earn first-team All-Big 12 honors, the most selections for an All-Conference first-team since 1966.

Cowan fueled the Huskers' offense, leading the team in batting average (.371), runs scored (61), hits (89), doubles (23), RBIs (74), and total bases (124). His 240 at bats, 10 home runs, and .592 slugging percentage all ranked him third on the team. Cowan also was perfect on the basepaths, going 7-for-7 on stolen bases attempts.

1999 - Junior
Cowan was one of 10 Huskers to hit over .300 last season, sporting a .312 mark and finishing second on the team in RBIs (60) and total bases (119) and third on the team in at bats (221), runs scored (52), home runs (nine) and extra-base hits (31). He overcame a sluggish start to hit .351 (23-for-77) in his final 20 games, including an impressive .421 average in his last 10 games. During his last 10 games, he scored 15 runs, drove in 15 more, hit five doubles and drew six walks. He was tied for the team lead with 57 starts and played in all but two games, which he missed due to an ankle injury.

Three of his nine homers were three-run blasts, but his biggest home run was a grand slam in the bottom of the first inning that keyed the Huskers to a 9-8 win in the first game of a three-game sweep over No. 8 Texas in Lincoln.

Cowan tied a school record with three doubles vs. Jacksonville State at the Marriott West Loop Invite in Houston, Texas. He also had a season-high seven RBIs in a win over Nebraska-Kearney in Lincoln. One of his seven stolen bases came in a 14-12 loss to Creighton when he stole home.

A solid defensive player, he finished third on the team with a .989 fielding percentage and went 33 straight games without commiting an error. He finished the season with a .353 average against lefties compared to his .300 average against right-handed pitchers. He hit .444 with bases loaded and was hit by pitch nine times ,the second-highest total on the team. 

South Mountain CC
Cowan earned first-team All-Region and first-team All-League honors at South Mountain in Phoenix, Ariz. As a sophomore, Cowan helped SMCC finish second in the region. He had a .390 batting average, 77 hits, including a region-best 25 doubles. He led the region with 87 RBIs and finished second with 15 home runs. He had 147 stolen bases for a slugging percentage of .770.

Oregon State
In 1997 at Oregon State, Cowan hit .341 while playing in 26 games, including making 10 starts. He had 14 hits, two home runs, two doubles, 12 RBIs and owned a .537 slugging percentage.

Turnwater High School
Cowan earned first-team All-State honors as a senior at Turnwater High School. He twice was an All-League first-team pick and also was an honorable mention selection one year. He played third base and catcher for coach Tim Graham. As a senior, Cowan hit .410 with eight home runs. He earned letters in football and wrestling.

Career Statistics

 

Year	AVG.	G-GS	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB-ATT
1999	.312	58-57	221	52	69	21	1	9	60	21	30	7-8
2000	.371	60-59	240	61	89	23	0	10	74	24	31	7-7
TOTAL	.343	118-116	461	113	158	44	1	19	134	45	61	14-15