North Greene senior catcher Christian Cogdill is continuing his baseball career with Milligan University after signing his official letter of intent on Wednesday.
“It’s surreal. As a kid you dream of this opportunity. It’s very mind-blowing that I’m about to sign my name on this paper to continue my baseball career,” Cogdill stated.
The lifelong Husky will finish his career at North Greene this spring not having to worry about when his last baseball game will be. Jerome Woolsey Gymnasium was filled with Christian’s friends and family on Wednesday for a moment they’ll always remember. Christian reflected on his time at North Greene and the memories he’ll take with him.
“It came as a very strong relief because it was a question I had going into the season. Then I went to a prospect camp and (Milligan) showed interest. Coach Barnett ended up calling me and offering me a scholarship, so this took a lot of weight off my shoulders,” Cogdill said.
Cogdill has played baseball for 14 years and will have the fortunate opportunity to continue playing the game he loves. He credits summer camps as a huge reason for his development and way to get his name recognized.
“I often frequented them, so it helped a lot. I learned a lot from different camps that I went to. I learned drills and ways to work underneath the ball and different framing and stuff like that. Fix my throw down. Just being able to go out and talk to coaches allowed me and helped me to get to this moment,” he said.
Cogdill grew up during a very rich period of North Greene baseball. The Huskies were a State Tournament participant in 2012, 2014, and 2017. His younger years were spent watching some of the best North Greene teams rack up wins on the diamond tundra.
He explained, “I grew up coming here to packed out games. The three out of the six years they went to state I grew up coming here to watch that. Watching Lowe coach here and being able to play here and put on the green and white has been a very blessed opportunity for me.”
Milligan was his choice with the Christ-centered aspect in mind when choosing to attend.
“I really enjoyed the Christ-centered aspect of it. I think it really connected with me and Coach Barnett reminded me a lot of Lowe that I had in the past and I was able to connect and talk with all the players there and I really felt a connection with that place,” he stated.
Milligan is located a short drive away in Elizabethton. The Buffaloes finished last season 32-22 (19-11). They compete in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. Skyler Barnett is their Head Coach.
Cogdill spoke about some of his coaches that have impacted him the most over his years on the diamond. Jason Lowe, Jamey Palmer, and Tyler Bailey were mentioned among those names.
Cogdill was overwhelmed with the community support he received on Wednesday and was grateful for the large number of people who came out for his special day.
Cogdill plans to major in accounting in college.
