Cochran-Gill

Cochran-Gill assigned to Southern League

By Michael Butler

Trey Cochran-Gill could be playing in front of the home folks at Riverwalk Stadium soon, that is if he's not called up to the big leagues first. Cochran-Gill pitched for AAA Tacoma of the Seattle Mariners organization while with Advanced A affiliate Bakersfield in California. Then came word of a move back closer to home.

"I went back after I started the game in Tacoma," Cochran-Gill said. "Our pitching coach called me and said, 'Pack your bags, you're going to Jackson.'" That's (AA) Jackson, Tenn. of the Southern League.

"It's awesome. I'm closer to home. The family can come and see me a lot more." In his first game, Cochran-Gill got a win in relief pitching shutout ball. "I just wanted to put the team in the best position to win," he said.

Cochran-Gill carried a 3-0 record into last weekend with Jackson. His ERA was 2.84 with five strikeouts and five walks. "They say the toughest jump is from High A to AA," said Cochran-Gill, who was unhittable in the Advanced A League (19.2 innings/1.37 ERA).

"They say from AA to the bigs is pretty much the same. I think that holds true because pitching if you execute your pitches you're fine. If you miss, they're most likely going to hit it. Sometimes they'll hit your good pitches. That's part of the game."

Now Cochran-Gill is playing with the caliber of ball players that he saw coming up. "It's crazy. I grew up going to a lot of those games (at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery). Now, getting to play in the same league and getting to come there in a few months is just awesome."

The Generals open a series with the Biscuits on Tuesday of this week, May 26 in Jackson. Jackson will travel to Montgomery for a series beginning on August 23.

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