Known as a leader and a person with a passion for baseball, former Cowley College catcher Gus Freeman was recently announced as the new assistant coach for the Tiger baseball team.
Freeman takes over for the recently departed Brock Buckingham, who left Cowley after 16 seasons to become the head coach at Pittsburg State University.
“Gus brings a lot to our program,” Cowley head coach Darren Burroughs said. “He played with a passion for the game and embraced the tradition we have at Cowley. He will be a great example to our players.”
Freeman was Cowley’s starting catcher during the shortened 2020 season and batted .343 with nine runs batted in while appearing in 15 games. In 2021, Freeman batted .398 with seven home runs, 12 doubles, five triples, and 47 runs batted in as he earned First Team all-conference and Second Team all-Region VI honors while helping lead Cowley to a conference championship, a Region VI title, and a fifth-place finish at the NJCAA Division I World Series.
After Cowley, he transferred to the University of Louisiana-Monroe, where he saw action in five games during the 2022 season before transferring to the University of Austin Peay in 2023, where he appeared in 29 games and started 23, with 20 starts at catcher and three at first base. He batted .240 with three home runs and 12 RBI.
He had a breakout season for the Governors in 2024, batting .375 with five home runs, 14 doubles, and 33 RBIs, which led to him being named a Third Team All-Atlantic Sun performer. During the 2025 season, Freeman started all 59 games for Austin Peay, 57 games at first base, and two as the designated hitter. He batted .313 while posting a 1.006 OPS with 10 home runs, 15 doubles, and 51 RBI.
Freeman had a .487 on-base percentage, which was supported by his 40 walks (7th in ASUN) and a program-record 25 hit-by-pitches, which led the league. He reached base safely for 43 straight games (Feb. 16-April 29) as he was named a Second Team all-Atlantic Sun performer.
Freeman will try to help the Tigers return to the JUCO World Series for the first time since 2022 and improve on last season’s record of 44-11.
