Date Posted: 9/19/2007

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Former USC Upstate baseball star Chris Nowak (Milwaukee, Wis.) has continued to shine during his professional baseball career, as he recently led the Montgomery Biscuits to its second-straight Class AA Southern League Championship. The 6-4 infielder was named the unanimous Southern League Championship Series MVP after hitting .611 (11-for-18) with three home runs during the series.

Nowak started a dramatic ninth-inning rally for the Biscuits in the fifth-and-deciding game of the championship series against the Huntsville Stars, as he posted his fourth hit of the night, a single through the left side to lead off the inning and the Biscuits down, 3-1. After a lineout, Nowak took third on a single, setting up a championship-clinching three-run homer from Sergio Pedroza.

"It was real cool," Nowak said. "When I was at third, the manger and I talked and said this is really a good match-up against this pitcher. He had a nice hard fastball and we knew it wouldn't get past Pedroza. The first pitch, he hits it the opposite way and my manager and I were yelling for the ball to get up, get up. And it did. Our whole team was out on the field and it wasn't a walk-off homer. I lost my voice for about an hour after that because all I kept shouting was, 'Yeah.' We felt like we knocked the win d out of their sails. I remember catching the ball to end the game on a double play and then not much after that. We piled up and hugged everybody."

Nowak finished his first full season at Double-A with a .304 batting average, seven homers and 55 RBIs. He also stole 18 bases and added a hefty .396 on-base percentage. In his final 15 games, Nowak was on fire, hitting five homers and batting .467 (28-for-60).

Related Links:
 • Full Article at USCUpstate.edu/athletics
 • Montomgery Biscuits