Puyallup High grad McDowell helps Lewis-Clark State win NAIA College World Series

It was a strange feeling for Tyler McDowell last summer when the former Puyallup Viking standout had nowhere to go.

Sitting there staring at his phone in Green Bay, Wisconsin, there was no time in McDowell’s life he felt more alone. He was isolated so far from home as reality took over hopes and dreams.

McDowell was without a home to go back to.

“All I wanted was the chance to prove I belonged in college and Division-I baseball,” he said. “I worked hard my whole life for the chance to play in college.”

The Washington State University baseball program had abandoned him as a new regime led by head coach Martin Lees rescinded its scholarship to McDowell after one season, leaving him without a home to go back to in his baseball life.

“It was the hardest call I had to take hearing about being dropped from the (WSU) baseball team,” McDowell said.

That call left McDowell felling empty. Was he seeing the beginning of his collegiate career collapsing around him before he had the chance to showcase his talent?

It was an offer he fought so hard to achieve since he was 5 years old playing catch in his backyard. In one fell swoop, WSU sent a haymaker to the jaw and the Cougars left McDowell hurting. But in the end, it was McDowell who left the crimson and red licking their chops.

One year after being dropped by WSU, McDowell was a star for the back-to-back NAIA national champion Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) baseball team, as the former Puyallup Viking graduate’s postseason performance led the Warriors to their 18th national title in school history.

McDowell finished his sophomore season with a .331 batting average — fifth on the team — including 37 RBIs and 32 runs scored.

“He was huge. Obviously, his bat was one thing, but what he did for us defensively was (big) because we didn’t even have a first baseman who could come close to him in what he did defensively,” Lewis-Clark State coach Jeramiah Robbins said. “He was just phenomenal there, and obviously his bat got better as the year went (on), and he really carried toward the end of our season and into the playoffs.”

The Warriors defeated Faulkner University (Ala.), 12-11, as LC State won the 60th annual NAIA College World Series. McDowell went 3 for 5 with two RBIs and two runs. He also smacked a home run in the title game, one of the Warriors’ six home runs.

“(Robbins) said all the other teams went there to compete in the NAIA tournament, and we were the only team that went out there to win it,” McDowell said. “You could see it in their eyes compared to our eyes.”

McDowell also had a perfect day, going 6 for 6 with four RBIs, four runs and three doubles at the plate on April 29 in LC State’s 18-8 pummeling of Central Washington.

“That was one of my favorite moments in the my career. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that game,” McDowell said.

McDowell became the 11th player in LC State history to collect six hits in a game, and the first player under Robbins.

Lost and found

Last summer, Robbins had just come off a championship season with the Warriors, and the summer was primed for him to restock his squad after losing so many to the MLB draft and graduation.

“I haven’t even enjoyed it (yet),” Robbins said with a laugh about winning the national title at the beginning of June. “You just move on to the next year, and you start replacing some guys, making sure guys are playing summer ball — you just keep plugging forward.”

One of those guys was McDowell — even when he wore the crimson and silver out in Pullman his freshman season.

“(WSU) had me in a platoon split, where I rarely saw a left-handed pitcher,” McDowell said. “I felt I could hit left-handers because I hit them in high school, and I felt I could make the adjustments in college.”

After the spring season, McDowell went out for summer ball in Green Bay when WSU called and told him the news. In McDowell’s most isolated moment, a spark ignited. He wasn’t going to be denied, so he reached out to LC State baseball and Robbins to see if there was a match.

“Being picked up by LC State was just the icing on the cake (last year). Jeremiah Robbins — he’s a fantastic coach, just old-school baseball just like (Puyallup coach Marc) Wiese,” McDowell said. “Going out there and him giving me confidence to play is kind of unreal.”

There was always something about McDowell that stood out to Robbins when he brought him in to the program. The Warriors needed a first baseman — someone who could field the position, dig balls out of the dirt or start the occasional double play from the right side of the diamond.

What he found was something more.

“He’s a competitor,” Robbins said. “He’ll always go out there and give it his all (whether) it’s with his glove on defense or if it’s getting big hits for us at the plate. Tyler is always 100-percent effort. (Plus) I don’t buy into the idea about sitting a someone because a left-hander is on the mound. A right-handed (batter) sees the same thing from a right-hander on the mound. I felt Tyler could be our everyday first baseman and that meant playing him against (whoever) was pitching.”

McDowell’s effort reminded Robbins of another local talent who played for him a few years ago — Michael Sexton of Rogers High — which is why they came back last year to snag Ryan Peterson (Puyallup) to play third base next season.

“I have no doubt (Peterson) will be able to contribute early. He’s one of the better defenders I’ve seen,” said Robbins, who can now envision a season with both McDowell and Peterson locking down the corner infield spots next spring.

But there is still something more left for McDowell to give LC State.

This summer McDowell is preparing to take on pitching duties as he has touched 88 mph in the past. All that competitiveness, that fire inside that led to his big season as an everyday player, can lead to greater success on the mound, Robbins believes, as McDowell is just touching the surface of his abilities.

“He’s going play another role for us ... the kid can pitch, too,” Robbins said. “He has the chance to be a major league prospect on the mound, too. Last year we had a bunch of pitchers, and he was so good defensively we just didn’t use that option. (But) we talked at the end that it’s something we’re going to explore next year as we go through our fall ball.”

This story was originally published July 6, 2016 at 11:06 AM with the headline "Puyallup High grad McDowell helps Lewis-Clark State win NAIA College World Series."