By Thomas Grant Jr.
Saturday night is a dream come true for Banks Faulkner.
The Lexington baseball assistant coach gets to watch his former players square off at the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
When Coastal Carolina and LSU play Game One in the Best-of-Three series, each team will have a contributor from Blythewood High School.
On the mound for the Tigers is righthander Zac Cowen. Among the Chanticleers he will face is former Bengal teammate infielder Ty Dooley.
Games One and Three (if necessary) will air on ESPN Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ABC will show Game Two at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
“First off, it’s one of the coolest things I’ve had in coaching is to see both of them competing on the biggest stage for their teams,” Faulkner said. “I have very fond memories of both of them and still keep in touch with both.
“As their coach, it gives me so much pride to see them doing so well in baseball and in life and knowing. I hopefully played a small part in their journey. I joked with both of their parents while in Omaha that the series will come down to Dooley vs Cowan. No matter who wins this series, they both made me and I know all of Blythewood proud.”
Cowen was a 4-year letterman for Blythewood under Faulkner. As a junior in 2021, he batted .346 with 20 stolen bases in winning Region Player of the Year and earning All-State selection.
In two seasons at Wofford, Cowens went 13-5 and struck out 178 batters. He helped the Terriers win the 2024 Southern Conference championship and win their first-ever NCAA Regional game.
As a transfer, Cowen has played a reliable relief role for the Tigers. In 20 relief appearances during the regular season, he went 3-3 with a 2.38 ERA, six saves, 10 walks and 53 strikeouts in 41.1 innings.
Cowen was named to the All-SEC team. In his last CWS appearance against Arkansas, he struck out six and allowed just one run in 5 1/3 innings.
The Tigers rallied for three runs in the ninth inning for the 6-5 victory. They are seeking their eighth national title and second in the past three seasons.
Dooley is also a first-year transfer to the Chanticleers out of Radford. A two-time All-State selection for the Bengals, he’s batting .296 with six home runs and 37 RBI for Coastal Carolina.
The Chanticleers enter Game One riding a 26-game winning streak. They also look to go 2 for 2 at CWS finals after winning in 2016.
“First of all they are the right kinds of people,” Faulkner said. “They both come from great families and both are high character individuals. They became good friends and made each other better players while at Blythewood. Extremely talented players, yet the best team guys you could ask for as a coach.
“Both of them never really showed a lot of emotion good or bad and I think that’s one big reason they’ve been successful in college baseball. Both started at smaller schools and had to prove themselves. Before they got the opportunity to play at the level they are now.”
Feature photos courtesy Coastal Carolina and Louisiana State University
