SENIOR WEEKS: Owsik was set to anchor formidable Downingtown East pitching staff

They say in baseball you can never have enough pitching.

Coming into the 2020 scholastic baseball season, no team in the Ches-Mont League — or maybe even all of District 1 — had more pitching than Downingtown East.

With three seniors headed to Division 1 schools, the Cougars, who went all the way to the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals last season before bowing to Neshaminy, were well-armed before the COVID-19 virus canceled the season.

With David Ferguson, Grant Umberger and Dave Owsik toeing the rubber, the Cougars were far and away the favorite to capture the Ches-Mont League National Division, and a contender to possibly bring home more championships in districts and states.

“I was really itching to get out there because we knew we had the pitching and if we got some defense and a little hitting this could have been a special year for us,” Owsik said. “This is very frustrating just sitting out with no season. We were hoping we could salvage a season and do something special because it is not often that a team has three strong pitchers.”

The Cougars’ right-hander will head to St. Joseph’s University next fall. The Cougars’ ace is extremely excited to be going to Hawk Hill.

“There is a great culture at St. Joe’s,” Owsik said. “The coaching staff was great and the players were very welcoming to me and I felt very comfortable. Things just seemed high at St. Joseph’s.”

Downingtown East won the 2019 Ches-Mont League National Division title breaking the five-year reign of archrival Downingtown West and advancing to the PIAA Class 6A playoffs.

The Cougars won their first-round state game before dropping a close 4-2 decision to Neshaminy in the quarterfinal round. This year the Cougars had to replace seven seniors in the everyday lineup that had graduated, but optimism was high with Owsik. Ferguson and Umberger coming back.