For Collin Cowgill, the gain is no pain. The UK outfielder is swinging the bat again. Playing for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in the Cape Cod League this summer, he reports no pain in his left hand after injuring it in February.
Here's the better news: The wooden-bat summer league for college players reports that through Monday, Cowgill was hitting .311 after 20 games and 74 at-bats, with a .473 slugging percentage and a .
363 on-base percentage. Here's the even better news: "I can't wait for next season," he said yesterday by phone from New England. Cowgill means the college baseball season, UK's season, the campaign he missed in 2007 after feeling wrist discomfort in a batting practice before the team left for its first game.
"I had hurt it at the end of summer ball last year, had it in a cast, but it was no big deal," he said yesterday. "The second time, in batting practice, I knew something bad had happened. But the doctors couldn't see anything in the X-ray or the MRI, so I thought it would be a couple of weeks.
" A couple of weeks grew to three, then four, and the next thing you know, surgery was scheduled. On March 15, the pre-season All-American went under the knife, and doctors removed a hamate bone. Bad news for the Cats.
The former Henry Clay star and state's Mr. Baseball in 2004 was expected to be the linchpin in John Cohen's offense. After batting .
200 as a freshman, Cowgill improved to .298 his sophomore season, UK's Southeastern Conference title season, with 16 homers and 61 RBI. But the surgery washed out his '07, though at one point Cowgill was shooting for a possible return by the Vanderbilt series in mid-April.
"But I hadn't even picked up a bat by then," he said. There was some talk about a return for the Georgia series at the end of that month, just after Cowgill returned to batting practice. "But I was still feeling some pain," he said.
"It really wasn't the lack of pain, it was the lack of baseball that kept me out." Finally, Cohen concluded he was not going to sacrifice a year of Cowgill's eligibility for a couple of weeks of play. "It was definitely frustrating," said Cowgill, who dressed for every home game.
"You're sitting on the bench, watching your teammates play. But I think I saw the game from a different perspective. I learned a lot about the game sitting next to Coach Cohen and Coach (Gary) Henderson.
I tried to be like a sponge and soak up everything they were saying." Maybe even harder to take was archrival Louisville's run to the College World Series. "That was difficult to watch," he admitted.
"Especially after we have beat them five out of six times. Not that I have anything against those guys -- there are a couple of Louisville guys playing up here. It was just tough seeing them there when you feel like you've got a chance to be there.
" Maybe next year is the year. Though taken in the 29th round by Oakland, Cowgill will return to Lexington for '08. "I keep talking to the coaches, and they keep telling me how good we're going to be this year," Cowgill said.
"(UK teammate) Scott Green is up here with me, and I get to see him pitch every fifth day, and he's throwing the ball real well." In fact, Green is 1-1 with a 1.61 ERA over 221/3 innings.
Cowgill, meanwhile, has two homers and is second on the team with 12 RBI. "It's only been a couple of weeks since I stopped feeling any pain," he said. "It still gets sore, but the doctors say that's normal.
All the way around. Said Collin Cowgill, "I'm just thankful to be playing again." Reach John Clay at 859-231-3226 or (800) 950-6397, ext.
3226, or jclay@herald-leader.com. Read his blog at Kentucky.
com. For Collin Cowgill, the gain is no pain.
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