www.eteamz.com/gillette reports the following...

Ausin Cowen has recently committed to play college baseball at Miles Community College in Miles City, MT. The Pioneers, one of the most respected DII Junior Colleges in the area have won their conference 8 years in a row and in 2007 advanced to the DII Junior College World Series. In 2008 the Pioneers finished 39-18-1 and won the Region IX Championship.

"We are excited about Austin joining our program at Miles said head coach Rob Bishop. He is exactly the kind of player that we hope to attract to our program. He is talented both offensively and defensively but most attractive to me are his intangibles in the classroom and on the practice field. I believe Austin will have a great career here and will achieve his goal of moving on to the next level."

Last season Cowen set an all-time Riders record for consecutive games with a hit with 13, while hitting .364. This season he's again among the team leaders in all categories, including a .370 batting average and 23 RBI's in 22 games. He has also been the Riders leader in many defensive categories the past two seasons, including best fielding percentatge and in 2007 was the Riders Defensive MVP.

"Austin is probably the smoothest infielder I've coached" said Riders head coach Nate Perleberg. "He has always took a lot of pride in being a great defensive player. His defensive tools, along with the way he swings the bat and his knowledge of the game will give him the chance to be a very successful player at the next level for Coach Bishop."