CYPRESS SCHOOL NEWS Source: CFISD News Media
Former Cypress Ranch Teammates Selected in MLB Draft hard I’ve worked and how much my friends and family have believed in me,” Cowser said. “I’m very grateful for Sam Houston to give me the opportunity to get better and develop. I’m forever grateful for that.”
Ty Madden and Colton Cowser have been friends since middle school and were teammates on the Cypress Ranch baseball team. From 2015-2018, the longtime friends and other Mustangs advanced to postseason each year with deep runs and finished the 2018 season as Class 6A state semifinalists. But their mutual successes didn’t stop there. The Class of 2018 graduates shared the stage during their watch party at Creekwood Grill in Cypress alongside friends and families as the former Mustangs were selected on day one of the 2021 MLB First-Year Player Draft, held from July 11-13, at the Bellco Theatre in Denver, Colorado.
Madden was originally chosen in the 43rd round with the 1,022nd pick by the Kansas City Royals three years ago but opted to go the college route instead. At the University of Texas, he was 4-1 with a 3.40 ERA in 15 appearances including eight starts as a true freshman and went 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in 25 innings the following year as a starting pitcher.
Sam Houston State sophomore outfielder Cowser was drafted fifth overall by the Baltimore Orioles, becoming the highest selectee in program and Southland Conference history and only the second player from Cy-Fair ISD to be chosen that high. “It’s an honor,” said Cowser in a Cy-Fair ISD press release. “It’s awesome that the Baltimore Orioles believe in me and believe that I have the skillset to contribute to their organization eventually.” Only 27 selections later, University of Texas right-hand pitcher Madden became the program’s highest pick since 2011 when the Detroit Tigers took him with the 32nd pick. “This is amazing,” Madden said in the press release. “I can’t thank the Tigers organization enough for giving me this opportunity. Let’s roll.” At Sam Houston State, Cowser was named Southland Conference Player of the Year this past March, after batting .374 with 76 hits, 61 runs, 16 HRs and 52 RBI, and also made the all-conference first team as an outfielder and was named to the alldefensive team. He was a Freshman All-American in 2019 and became the first player in program history to be voted conference Hitter of the Year that year as a true freshman. “For this to be a reality now, it just tells a lot about how Cowser with Orioles GM Mike Elias
20 June | July 2021
This past season, the third-year sophomore posted a 7-5 record with a 2.45 ERA and 137 strikeouts as a starting pitcher in 18 games across 113.2 innings. He was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and was recognized on three different All-American teams after helping lead the Longhorns to the College World Series.
Ty Madden (left) and Colton Cowsser watching the MLB draft at Creekwood Grill
“Going to school was one of the best decisions I ever made,” Madden said. “Back then I thought I was ready, but I wasn’t. My time at Texas was the best time of my life and the way my game developed was unbelievable. I’m glad I made that decision three years ago.” They joined former teammates and current minor league players who were drafted out of high school in 2019: J.J. Goss, Matthew Thompson and Jared Alvarez-Lopez. All were part of the team that finished as state semifinalists in 2018. Madden and Cowser became the highest pair of teammates to be drafted this high since Cypress Falls’ Everts and Scott Kazmir were taken in the first round, fifth and 15th overall, in 2002. “We’ve been best friends since eighth grade and we’ve always talked—whether if it was in whiffle ball games or working out—about taking it to the next level and experiencing this together,” Madden said. “We went back and forth on whether to do this but I’m glad we did.” Madden at Comerica Park
