Titans' Rowe signs with Montreat

Brent Rowe's college choice fits him like a glove - a catcher's mitt, to be exact.
The McDowell Titans' senior backstop has signed a scholarship to play at Montreat College, and the two-sport star said it was an easy decision.
"Not only is the school close to home where my family can come see me play, but I went over to a camp and met Coach (Mike) Bender and I realized how his heart was in it," said Rowe. "(I realized) how he wanted to play baseball - the small-ball aspect of it - running, bunting, moving runners; the way I've always been taught.
"I value education, but just having him as a coach, with the way he plays the game, that's where I wanted to land."
Titans head coach Alex Smith said Rowe is the prototypical Montreat player.
"I told Coach Bender, he's getting a better person than he is an athlete," said Smith. "He's a super, all-conference catcher, and he's going to have a great career at Montreat. It's a perfect fit for him. He's the kid they're looking for. He has God first in his life, family second. Then he has academics, and then he has baseball. And that's the way he lives his life."
Rowe, a three-year starter behind the plate and an all-conference selection as a junior, has been a stalwart for the Titans all three seasons. As a junior, he hit .314 with six doubles, four stolen bases and 15 RBIs. He also threw out 28.6 percent of attempted base stealers while logging 150 innings behind the plate, and was named All-Northwestern 4A Conference.
As a senior, Rowe struggled earlier in the season at the plate but has come on of late, hitting home runs in back-to-back games last week.
But whether he has been hot at the plate or not, Rowe's defense and ability to control games has been consistently superb throughout his career.
"He's a leader for us on the field," said Smith. "He's like having a coach in uniform. He controls our pitching, he handles our defense, and my boys think the world of him. That's a way you can learn about someone's character. My kids at home talk about Brent Rowe and they really look up to him. I think that's a testament to his character."
In addition to his standout career on the diamond, Rowe was a three-year starter in football, excelling at both wide receiver and tight end. He said he looks forward to concentrating on baseball, his first love.
"From August to November was strictly football, and I can only imagine how much you can grow in three or four months as a (baseball) player," said Rowe. "I'll have that opportunity now that I didn't have the last three or four years."
Smith agreed, and added the fact Bender is a former catcher would help Rowe improve as well.
"He's been a two-sport guy here, but now he can focus just on baseball," said Smith. "Coach Bender is a former catcher, so he (Brent) is going to get a lot of individual attention at that catcher's spot, which is only going to make him a better player."
Meanwhile, Rowe said he's glad to have the decision behind him with McDowell's most crucial stretch of the season coming up in the next week. The Titans (9-11 overall, 5-4 Mountain Athletic Conference) have three league games left and are in a dogfight with T.C. Roberson and A.C. Reynolds in the 4A race in the split 4A/3A conference.
"I'm tickled to death," said Rowe. "It's a load off. The stress is gone and I can just play and have fun."
Note: McDowell was to have played at Erwin Tuesday but the game was rained out and will be made up tonight (4 p.m. start-jayvees, 6 p.m. start-varsity). The Titans' game with Chase, originally set for tonight, will be played Thursday at home (4:30, 6:30).