Johnny
Bowes

Bowes came in as relief in the 5th inning for starting pitcher Landon Moore, and the sophomore RHP really caught me by surprise once I got a good look at his stuff. Based on what I saw during his warm-up pitches, I honestly didn’t think he had the best command as he was missing high above the zone on nearly every throw. But, I can admit when I’m wrong. The moment the batter stepped into the box, Bowes flipped a switch and immediately started attacking the zone, guess where? High in the zone. He lived at the top of the zone and kept hitters uncomfortable with a confident FB/SL/CH mix. I would’ve liked to see the changeup featured a bit more, just to see how it plays off his fastball, but you could tell he fully trusted his fastball and slider, and they were more than enough to keep hitters guessing. What also stood out to me was his unique delivery, he’s got a slightly unorthodox windup where he raises his glove high over his head before striding down the mound with intent, working from a high three-quarter arm slot that gives his pitches a nice angle. It creates a bit of deception and adds to the effectiveness of that high fastball. Through five appearances at the varsity level, Bowes has been nothing short of impressive, posting a 0.66 ERA with 12 strikeouts. For a sophomore, that kind of presence and poise is exciting to see, and he’s definitely a name to keep an eye on in the 2027 class.