UPLAND, Calif. --- The number seven has been synonymous with success at Upland High over the past few years, and it wasn't because of luck. It was the number dual-sport athlete Evan Rowe wore while he worked hard to push the Scots' Football and Baseball teams victory after victory.

A quarterback in the fall and shortstop in the spring, Rowe earned first team All-Baseline League recognition in both sports just months apart in 2019 and led his football team to a 12-3 record and a CIF Division II Southern Section Championship in his first year as the starter under center. 

Rowe passed for 1,736 yards and 17 touchdowns that year compared to just two interceptions. Then he followed it up by leading the Highlanders to another Sectional playoff berth in his senior season, earning first team all-league honors after maintaining his yards and touchdowns per game and increasing his completion percentage.

That success under pressure, combined with the talent and feel Rowe has shown on the diamond and the gridiron, gave the Eagles reason to be very excited when Rowe chose college baseball at Biola. And the coaching staff is looking forward to how Rowe will develop when he focuses his athleticism on baseball exclusively:

"I believe Evan might be the sleeper of this class. He has had great success on the football field as a CIF championship quarterback and brings a winning mindset to the field," said Coach Calhoon. "His work ethic and commitment to excellence fits what we are building and the players we want to work with. So I am pumped to get him into our system and see what Coach CJ Baker can develop Evan into both at the plate and in the field."

MaxPreps.com credits Rowe with a .308 batting average, and .400 on-base percentage and five stolen bases during the season he was named a first team all-league infielder. He helped Upland Baseball to winning records at home and on the road that year and also showed power at the plate during the abbreviated 2020 campaign: roping two doubles and a triple in just eight plate appearances. 

Rowe plans to major in business administration at Biola and is excited to join the Eagles baseball program. "The team and the coaching staff reminds me a lot of my high school team so I feel right at home," the infielder said.

Evan Rowe will join his new teammates in the coming fall semester as the Biola Boys prepare for their first real shot at an NCAA West Regional berth. More information on the incoming 2020-21 class that will join him at Biola can be found on the Committed Athletes page.