By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Former Niles graduate and baseball standout, Ryne Dowling, will be heading to Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tenn. this fall to continue his baseball career with the Railsplitter's baseball team.
Dowling pitched for Kalamazoo Valley Community College his freshman and sophomore year's and completed his sophomore season. with a 5-2 record and a 3.15 ERA.
During his two-years as a starter for the Cougars, Dowling has also put up impressive numbers. 
In nearly 40 innings of work he struck out 30 batters, while walking only six. 
Dowling will be joined by his Cougars teammate, Wakefield, also a pitcher.
Wakefield accumulated 51 K's in just 45 innings of work with only 15 walks this season.
Dowling and Wakefield will be joining a Railsplitter baseball team that will be looking to improve on last year's 16-36 season finish. 
The two newcomers will officially join the Railsplitters in late August for fall semester classes.
LMU competes in the Gulf South Conference (GSC), the premier Division II Baseball Conference in the country.
The program has been nationally ranked several times within the last 10 years, most recently reaching the mark of 10th in 2002.
The Gulf South Conference begins its 35th year of excellence, continuing a tradition of growth and success that has brought it distinction as one of the elite NCAA Division II conferences.
With 17 universities in six southeastern states, the Gulf South Conferene is the largest playing conference in the division.