1997-98 Cowley College

After barely falling short of a trip to the NJCAA World Series in 1996, the Cowley Tigers made it to Grand Junction, Colorado in 1997 for the first time in school history.  They were 48-10 coming into the World Series and won their opener against the College of Central Florida.

The Tigers lost their second game to Indian Hills (IA) and had to fight back to win four games that could have eliminated them.  World Series Most Outstanding Player Travis Hafner homered in their 4-2 championship win over Seminole State (OK).  

Pitcher Aaron Akin, who was 13-0 with a 1.21 earned run average, was a first round draft pick by the Florida Marlins.  Fellow pitcher Travis Hughes pitched in the major leagues while Hafner had a 12-year MLB career in which he hit 213 home runs.

The 1998 Tigers started 4-6 before winning 50 of their next 53 games to be ranked #1 nationally.  They won their first three World Series games before losing in the semifinal.  They made the final, however, and beat San Jacinto (TX) 15-11 to repeat as champions.

Outfielder Josh McMillan, from Clearwater, was named the World Series Most Outstanding Player.  McMillan went on to play at North Carolina-Charlotte.

The Tiger championship teams were coached by Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame member Dave Burroughs.