Big game pitcher to be inducted into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame

Known for his ability to come up clutch in big game situations, Cowley College baseball standout Brian Manwell will be inducted into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, February 1, inside the Earle N. Wright Community Room.

Manwell grew up in Harrah, Oklahoma, where he was selected for the Oklahoma City Area Baseball Little All-City First Team his senior year. 

Scott Hennessey, the current manager of the Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets, recruited Manwell to play at Cowley when Hennessey was an assistant coach on the Tiger baseball staff.

"Those two years at Cowley were the best two years of baseball I ever had," Manwell said. "All the coaches demanded a ton from the players with tough (military-like) workouts and focus in practice/games but at the same time letting the players have a ton of fun and enjoyment of playing."

Manwell was a pitcher on the 1996 Tiger baseball team, which experienced winning a conference and region title before losing in the district championship in heartbreaking fashion. The returning players on the 1997 team were driven by getting beat out by Meramec College in the 1996 district tournament."

After going 51-13 during the 1996 season, Manwell and the returning players would use the previous season as motivation to go 33-3 in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division during the 1997 season.

Cowley head baseball coach Darren Burroughs was an assistant and pitching coach for the Tigers during Manwell's time at the school.

"Brian was an extremely hard worker who continued to grow as a pitcher," Burroughs said. "He had phenomenal movement on his fastball and pitched to his strengths."

Manwell was clutch in big games for the Tigers, earning wins in the final game of the sub-regional, regional, and JUCO World Series.

"It was special to watch him perform in those big situations," Burroughs said.

In the title game, Travis Hafner, who went on to a stellar 12-year Major League career where he hit 213 career home runs, hit a three-run home run in the 4-2 win over Seminole State College.

"It was so incredible winning the JUCO World Series," Manwell said. "When we drove up to the ballpark literally 2 1/2 hours before the game, there were probably 5,000 people out of the 10,000 people who had come to the game. I had such a calmness before the game during my warm-up in the bullpen. It totally seemed just like another regular game to me. I believe a big reason for that was because of the super confidence we had as a team and also how calm the coaches (Dave Burroughs, Darren Burroughs, and Scott Hennessey) were before the game. Once the last out was recorded, it was a mad dash to the mound area for a major dog pile."

The team returned to Arkansas City to a hero's welcome as the community gathered outside W.S. Scott Auditorium to celebrate the team's World Series title.

"What made Cowley so special was the brotherhood environment with the players and a family atmosphere that Coach Dave, Lefty (Darren), and Henney created," Manwell said. "Lefty kept my pitching simple and worked on just a few mechanical things throughout my two years. Lefty did not complicate things. On the title-winning team, all of us fought for one goal, and that was to win every game we could and get an opportunity to win a National Championship, which we did."

After Cowley, Manwell went on to pitch his junior year at the University of Oklahoma, a school he grew up cheering for after attending several baseball camps.

"I was around some great talent as we had 11 players selected in the Major League Baseball draft that year," Manwell said.

As a senior, Manwell transferred to Northeast Louisiana in Monroe, LA (now called the University of Louisiana Monroe).

"I had an absolute blast there," Manwell said. "It totally felt like I was back at Cowley, having extremely hard practices and workouts and a brotherhood environment like at Cowley. We played at several SEC baseball stadiums, which was a great experience.

Manwell stays in touch with quite a few players from those 1996 and 1997 Tiger baseball teams and credits numerous individuals for his success.

"My mom and dad supported me throughout the years with the love and hard work environment that was instilled in me," Manwell said. "Also, my brother who competed with me growing up with any kinds of sport or games we could find to do. All of my past coaches, but especially my American Legion coach Doug Weese, who I played with for three years with Midwest City, OK Post 170. Coach Dave, Henney, and especially Lefty on giving our teams the best opportunity to succeed and win the National Championship in 1997. Lastly, all of my former Cowley teammates who played and fought for the team and not for individual accolades."

Manwell resides in Edmond, OK, with his wife of 22 years, Laura, and the couple's two daughters, Sydnee (14) and Ella (12). He is employed as a mortgage loan originator for the top mortgage broker in the country.

He enjoys going to his daughters' events along with golfing and going to the family's lake cabin.

"I am really proud of everything he has accomplished not only as a baseball player but as a man," Darren Burroughs said. "Being a Hall of Famer doesn't encompass all the great things he has done in his life."

Manwell looks forward to returning to the Cowley College campus and catching up with his former coaches and teammates.

"The school had a family environment the whole time I was there that totally resembled the baseball program," Manwell said. "What a huge honor. When Coach Dave and Lefty called to tell me I had been selected for the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame, a ton of awesome memories came flooding through my mind. I have such a ton of respect for all of the coaches, the baseball program, and the school."