The inaugural season of the Big Bend Cowboys was a roller coaster ride that showed great promise for things to come. The newest Continental Baseball League franchise, created one month before the season, made it all the way to the CBL Championship series and narrowly lost to the veteran Alexandria Aces. Written off from the beginning and expected to miss the CBL playoffs entirely, the Cowboys were 11-14 and under .500 at the All-Star break and sitting in 5th place in the CBL standings. Then the Cowboys had a magical homestand in which they compiled a 17-3 record and vaulted into the upper echelon of the CBL standings going into the last month of the season. After some tough series on the road the Cowboys were locked into the 4th seed in the CBL playoffs, meaning they would be on the road for the entirety 

of the playoffs. This was a tough challenge for a team that had amassed a 6-15 record on the road, but the Cowboys were ready to prove their doubters wrong again. In a controversial series from the beginning the Cowboys played at the Bay Area Toros in round 1 of the playoffs. Mike Castrignano delivered a strong performance in game 1, seven innings with seven strikeouts and only one run allowed. From Bay Area the Cowboys traveled to face the Alexandria Aces in the CBL Championship series. The Cowboys were narrowly defeated twice, and the Aces won the Ferguson Jenkins Championship Trophy. The League announced before Game 2 of the Championship Series the 2009 CBL awards winners, but due close races across the board no Cowboys took home any hardware this season. Don't let that fool anyone though, these Cowboys were a great collection of players and young men that battled through adversity all year to reach the league championship in their inaugural season.

As a team the Cowboys were a dynamic and potent offensive force and ended the season 2nd in the CBL with a .286 Batting Average, 1st in the CBL in Runs Scored with 447, 1st in the CBL in Home Runs with 63, and 1st in the CBL in Walks with 348. Center Fielder Eric Williams reached base in every single game this season, including the playoffs, and led the CBL in multiple offensive categories all season long. Eric compiled a .365 Batting Average- 1st in CBL (.364 at home and .368 on the road), a .547 On Base Percentage- 1st in CBL, 72 Hits- 1st in CBL, 73 Walks- 1st in CBL, 63 Runs Scored- 1st in CBL, and 22 Stolen Bases- 4th in CBL during his 58 games played in the regular season. Catcher and Designated Hitter Anselmo "Angel" Vasquez also had a great season at the plate, splitting his season between the Cowboys and South Louisiana Pipeliners. Angel compiled a .356 Batting Average- 2nd in CBL, a .448 On Base Percentage- 5th in CBL, a .603 Slugging Percentage- 1st in CBL, and hit 9 Home Runs- Tied for 3rd in CBL. Right Fielder Andrew Riddick was a dynamic playmaker for the Cowboys all season, and a defensive force in the outfield. Andrew compiled a .340 Batting Average- 3rd in CBL, and had 44 Runs Scored, 31 Runs Batted in, and hit 7 Home Runs on the season. Second baseman Beau Manning played All-Star second base, and led the Cowboys in Runs Batted in with 52- 3rd in CBL, to go along with a .312 Batting Average- 10th in CBL. First baseman and Designated Hitter Chris Dabbs led the team with 12 Home Runs- 1st in CBL, and had 23 Extra Base Hits- 3rd in CBL, and a .552 Slugging Percentage- 3rd in CBL.

The Cowboys pitching staff was also a force to be reckoned with, and helped lead the Cowboys on their long playoff run to cap a 36-24 regular season. Starters Curt Dixon and Mike Castrignano were consistent all season in helping the Cowboys win ballgames, while reliever Chris Bennett locked-down opponents in the closing innings. Curt was 10th in the CBL in Earned Run Average at 3.76 and tied for 1st in the CBL in victories after compiling an 8-4 record. Mike was 2nd in the CBL in strikouts with 89 (Mike also had 12 strikeouts in the playoffs) and 3rd in the CBL in Innings Pitched with 81.2 (Mike also pitched 13 innings in the playoffs). Chris was 4th in the CBL in Saves with 4, but rarely had a save opportunity, and was 1st in the CBL in a Relief Appearances with 30.

Along with these top performers in the CBL from the entire season, the Cowboys had a great array of up-and-coming talent who came to the team part way through the season. First baseman Nick "Nacho" Ochoa was always a few plate appearances short of qualifying for the Batting Title, but still managed to compile a .341 Batting Average, .587 Slugging Percentage, 38 Runs Batted In, and hit 8 Home Runs in only 37 games. Third baseman Jeremy Macklin pitched well in spot duty and compiled a .328 Batting Average and hit 6 Home Runs. Left Fielder Lee Ellis was on fire during his second-half stint with the Cowboys compiling a .337 Batting Average, 24 Runs Scored, 28 Runs Batted In, and 7 Home Runs in only 24 games played. Miles Morgan amassed a 2-0 record with a 2.45 Earned Run Average in only 15 Relief Appearances, and Struckout 27 batters in only 29.1 Innings Pitched. Brandon Castolenia had a 2.33 Earned Run Average in 19.1 Innings Pitched and 21 Strikeouts as a Cowboy the last month of the season. Relievers Fielding Lewis and Chris Rollins each had Earned Run Averages of 0.00 the last month of the season, and helped the Cowboys greatly in the playoffs.

With a great opening season under ther belts many Cowboys will be moving on to bigger and better things, but next year Coach Randell and the returning players plan on playing for the CBL Championship again. The Cowboys would like to thank all the team owners, staff, players, host family's, sponsors, local media, and fans for all their support. We look forward to a great offseason and 2010 season next summer.