Rowland 's baseball I.Q. thrills Tigers ' front office

Greenbrier High graduate Jeff Rowland wasted little time jumping from rookie ball to Single-A after his selection by the Detroit Tigers in the 19th round in June. He hit .341 in 11 games and was promptly promoted to the Tigers' Class-A affiliate, the West Michigan Whitecaps.

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Through 16 games with the Whitecaps, Rowland is hitting .235, but he has struck out only seven times in 63 trips to the plate, and has played flawlessly in the outfield. Word from the Tigers' front office is that Rowland has a high baseball I.Q. and the team is thrilled to have been able to get him in the 19th round.

Former Evans golfer wins tourney

The Augusta City Amateur is a special tournament for local golfers. All are jockeying to have their name alongside the likes of PGA star Charles Howell.

Former Evans High School standout Brad Arrington has done just that. The 22-year-old held a two-shot lead on former Evans teammate Jacob Tilton heading into Sunday's final round, thanks to a brilliant 6-under-par 66 in Round 2. He capped off the round with an eagle on the par 4 18th. Arrington assumed control early with four consecutive birdies on holes 4-7. Tilton also managed to shoot a 69 on Sunday, but had to settle for a second-place finish.

It is the fourth consecutive year that a player with ties to Evans has captured the City Am. Last year, former Georgia Southern golfer and Evans resident Jordan Johnstun capped a three-peat at the event by claiming the title in 2007, '08 and '09.

Good luck to Arrington as he closes out his amateur career this summer and gears up for PGA Tour qualifying school.

Rice transfers to Augusta State

Former Evans baseball standout Jeff Rice has transferred to Augusta State University. Rice spent last season at Mercer University in Macon, but redshirted, so he will still have four years of eligibility remaining.

Despite battling through injuries, Rice's final season at Evans was special. He hit .424, drove in 33 runs, scored 32 times and swiped 14 bases. All of those numbers topped the Knights in 2009. After the season, Rice was named the Region 3-AAAA Player of the Year and accepted a scholarship to Mercer.

Augusta State coach Chris Cooper is happy Rice decided to make a change.

"He is just a gamer and a natural leader. He will definitely be in the mix to start at second base," Rice said.