Malibu is now home to a new professional baseball player. The Texas Rangers drafted Cameron Coughlan, a 1999 Malibu High School graduate in the 18th round. Coughlan has signed with the Rangers and is now playing rookie ball for the Port Charlotte Rangers in Florida. This makes Coughlan the first Malibu High School athlete to play professional sports.
Before being drafted, Coughlan played second base for Brigham Young University in Utah. As a BYU Cougar, Coughlan helped the team play in the NCAA Regional Championships in 2001 and 2002. The Cougars also won the 2001 and 2002 Mountain West Conference.
Coughlan’s hard work was recognized when he won First Team All Conference, All Tournament Team (Mountain West Conference) and NCAA All Regional Team.
While at BYU, Coughlan finished his 2002 season with a .374 batting average, which placed him second on the team. He holds the Mountain West Conference stolen base record with 33 stolen bases for the season, which ranks him ninth in career-stolen bases. He also ranked first in conference with seven triples and ranked 22nd in the NCAA. Coughlan will finish his academic career at BYU through the Major League Baseball Scholarship program in his off-season.
As a rookie for the Texas Rangers, Coughlan continues to showcase his talents. He leads his team with a .351 batting average, which places him 10th in the league. He places third in the league for stolen bases with seven stolen bases and has a .489 on base percentage, which is second in the league. Coughlan plays second base and left field.
Coughlan is said to have always had the goal of going “pro.” Now it looks like that goal isn’t too far away.
-Christy Courter