Greensboro, NC (10/19/01) -- Former Guilford College baseball standout Chad Coward '00 received the 2001 Pitcher of the Year Award from the Bakersfield Blaze. The Blaze serves as the Class A minor-league affiliate of Major League's Baseball's Tampa Bay Devil Rays and plays in the California League.

After starting the season with the Charleston River Dogs of the South Atlantic League (A), the Devil Rays promoted Coward to Bakersfield April 19 after posting an 0.90 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 10 innings through five appearances. A middle reliever and occasional starter, he appeared in 32 games for the Blaze and compiled a 2-2 record with a 2.00 ERA and three saves. Coward pitched 67.1 innings, struck out 65 and held opponents to a .211 batting average. He was named the Devil Rays' Pitcher of the Month for May after posting a 0.56 ERA in 16 innings, with 10 hits allowed, four walks and 19 strikeouts. He held his opponents to a .169 batting average.

Coward, a Siler City, NC, native, was selected in the 14th round (406th overall) of the 2000 June Baseball Draft by the Devil Rays. He started his first professional season as a starter with the rookie-league Princeton (WV) Devil Rays before earning a midseason promotion to the Hudson Valley Renegades, a short-season Class-A affiliate. The right-hander went 4-4 with a 3.18 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 64 innings for Princeton and Hudson Valley.

Coward compiled a 23-20 record at Guilford with a 3.70 ERA in 60 career appearances. He set the school record with 24 complete games and struck out 319 batters with only 109 walks in over 286 innings. As a senior, he compiled career highs in wins (9), complete games (10), hits (49), earned runs (16), walks (20), strikeouts (107), and ERA (1.73). He received the 2000 Nereus C. English Athletic Leadership Award, which goes to Guilford’s top student-athletes.

Coward is one of two Guilford alumni playing professional baseball. Tony Womack '92 is the starting shortstop for the 2001 National League West Champion Arizona Diamondbacks.

- Josh Caray '04