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Rowe signs on with UC-Santa Barbara By TIM PYLE Bill Rowe had a dream, and with his signing to play baseball at the University of California-Santa Barbara, it has become a reality. Rowe, Ashland High's sweet-swinging senior first baseman, will play for the Gauchos of the Big West Conference next year, thereby achieving a lifelong goal to play baseball at a Southern California college. Rowe signed his letter-of-intent April 10, the first day of the baseball signing period. A first-team all-Southern Oregon Conference standout as a junior in 2001, Rowe boasts a batting average of .435 this season for the Grizzlies (12-5 overall, 6-2 SOC), who are one game behind first-place Crater heading into a doubleheader at Grants Pass today. Rowe, a lefty in both hitting and fielding, also has two home runs, six doubles, 14 RBIs and a .561 on-base percentage for Ashland, which is attempting to defend its 2001 SOC crown. In UCSB, Rowe believes he has found an ideal fit for his continued development. "They were looking for a left-handed first baseman, and they got one of my questionnaires I filled out," says Rowe, a 6-foot-3, 215-pounder. "We sent (Gauchos head coach Bob Brontsema) a video that had about 25 swings and me playing first base." Along with his father, Doug, Rowe visited UCSB for an official visit during the winter. On that same California road trip, Rowe checked out Saddleback Community College, UCLA, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine and Cal State-Fullerton. Offered a 70-percent scholarship and the chance to perform for the NCAA Division I Gauchos in an oceanside setting, Rowe decided UCSB was the place to be. The Gauchos were 40-17 last season and made it to the NCAA tournament. This year, they are 17-25. "They were a top-20 program last year," Rowe says. "They're not as strong this year because they had (10) players drafted into the pros." Rowe expects to compete immediately for the Gauchos' starting job at first base, as Brontsema has moved over a third baseman to fill the position this season and has told Rowe he will be in the thick of the running for that spot in 2003. "He told me he wasn't recruiting any other first basemen, which is rare at the Division I level," Rowe says. "Usually, they recruit three or four guys at a time." Born in Laguna Beach, Calif., Rowe has had his heart set on a return to Southern California for years. And he has visions of his UCSB days being the precursor to an eventual professional baseall career. "I hope so, but I'll just take it one step at a time," Rowe says. Brontsema could not be reached for comment. Reach reporter Tim Pyle at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.