Cowles Thrilled To Have ‘Opportunity To Play Another Four Years’

Pierce Cowles SS / 2B / Salisbury School , CT / 2024

FAIRFIELD, Ct. - Junior year had been repeated after a shoulder injury. It was fall of senior year and there still were no offers.

“I was starting to get nervous,” Pierce Cowles admitted. “I was supposed to get an offer from Quinnipiac but there were not enough roster spots.”

But then Central Connecticut State entered the picture.

“They saw me over the summer at a tournament,” reflected the 18th-rated 2024 shortstop in New England, who was recruited by Pat Hall, a former recruiting coordinator at Fairfield University who has been an assistant at Central since 2009. “Coach Hall is a good friend with my Salisbury coach and that helped.”

In early October a visit took place and before November came around Cowles was a commit to the university in New Britain, 50 minutes away.

“It’s nice to be wanted by Central,” related Cowles, who saw a number of plusses in making it his future residence. “A huge factor was it’s close to home. It’s a winning program, it’s a good academic fit and they have a good coaching staff. It’s everything I wanted.”

The decision to reclassify proved to be a good move for the 28th-ranked senior in Connecticut, who attended Fairfield Prep from 2020-2022 before repeating junior year at Salisbury.

“I missed most of my 2021 summer,” Cowles noted. “I played at the Future Games with a broken wrist, then hurt my shoulder junior year so I repeated it. This past summer was the first full summer of baseball. I had a late start with recruiting so it was stressful.

“It was hard coming off shoulder surgery,” continued the 18-year-old, who went under the knife in April of 2022 and was not throwing 100 percent until March of 2023. “It was hard to forget about the past, but it felt good to not have to worry about the shoulder and that I could play loose.”

It was also time to show what his abilities are in baseball.

“I was put into a leadership role as a junior at Salisbury playing shortstop and hitting leadoff,” Cowles explained. “I needed to step up and I succeeded.”

Central Connecticut State liked what Cowles showed.

“I did really well at the right time and at the right place, plus it helped with my coach knowing them and that I played well this spring,” Cowles said. “Coach Hall likes my twitchiness, my bat speed and my presence on the field to have the ability to change a game.”

The seventh-rated 2025 shortstop in Connecticut pointed to Kevin Huber, the head coach at Salisbury who saw the 5-9 170-pound middle infielder at the Future Games, with playing a major role in his baseball journey.

“He took me after my injury,” Cowles reflected. “He knew I would come back. I was weak after surgery and said I should reclassify and if I did that I could start here for two years.”

The idea of playing at the next level began right after high school began according to Cowles.

“I stopped playing soccer,” the 79th-ranked senior in New England noted. “It was time to get serious and see where I was at in a few years. I started working out with my brother, caring for my arm and getting stronger … all things I wasn’t doing before.”

Eventually, a college commitment materialized.

“I felt numb,” Cowles said of making it official with Central Connecticut State. “Honestly, it felt like it was never going to happen so it felt good to be done with it. Now I can focus on getting better and enjoying the game. I have an opportunity to play another four years.”

The 3.0 student at Salisbury planning to major in exercise science at Central is confident about making an impact at the Northeast Conference university.

“I think I’ll bring a twitchy player who can change a game in a second,” Cowles explained. “Someone who gets on base, who fields lights out … all the good stuff.”

There is a lot of anticipation about the days ahead for Cowles.

“I’m looking forward to being on a team with a great group of guys around me, playing a D-I schedule and getting a great education,” Cowles concluded. “I’m so thankful for the opportunity the coaching staff has given me.”