Memphis pitcher Bowlan joins dad in record book
University of Memphis pitcher Jonathan Bowlan did not yet realize the historical significance of what he was doing when he returned to the dugout ahead of the ninth inning Saturday afternoon.
And neither, it appears, did Tigers pitching coach Russ McNickle.
It was McNickle who initially approached Bowlan, ready to pull the Memphis ace after his longest outing of the season. The Tigers were cruising to an 8-2 win at No. 20 South Florida because of Bowlan’s dominance on the mound.
But Bowlan wasn’t ready to give up the ball.
“I got this. I can do this, Coach,” Bowlan said he told McNickle. “I was determined to finish the game.”
Not only did Bowlan throw his first complete game Saturday, but the Arlington native also joined his father in the Memphis baseball record books.
Bowlan set a school and American Athletic Conference record by striking out 18 batters. It’s the most strikeouts posted by a Division I pitcher this season.
He struck out five of the first six batters he faced and struck out the side in three different innings. All 18 strikeouts were swinging, including two in the bottom of the ninth when Bowlan officially set the record.
It’s a feat that further solidified the
Bowlan name in Memphis baseball lore. Bowlan’s father, Mark, is the only pitcher in program history to throw a perfect game, which he did in May 1987.
“My mom actually brought it up to me after the game: ‘Now, you and your dad get to share a spot in the record books at Memphis,” Jonathan Bowlan said in a telephone interview Sunday afternoon. “That is pretty cool. I never really thought of it like that.”
Bowlan was a three-sport star at Arlington and Bartlett high schools, and he entered this season as one of the top 200 major league draft prospects, according to Baseball America.
Although Saturday’s victory improved his record to only 2-6 this season, Bowlan is enjoying the best campaign of his college career. His earned run average of 2.78 is almost a full run less than last year; his walks are down; and he’s already set a career-high for strikeouts (88).
Part of that improvement is thanks to Bowlan’s work in the weight room now that he’s focused simply on baseball. He’s gone from weighing 212 pounds out of high school to 255 pounds today.
On Saturday, he used that strength to attack and fool USF’s hitters.
Bowlan said his most effective pitches were a high fastball that topped out at 96 mph and an improved slider in the dirt. Other than the bottom of the third, when Bowlan gave up three hits and two runs, USF had just one hit.
“I’ve been working my tail off because I want to finish the whole game and I’ve seen that I’ve had no complete games my whole career here at Memphis,” Bowlan said. “I just felt like I could do it. I knew I could do it because I had the energy and my stuff was working well.”
Bowlan’s heroics were a welcome reprieve during a season that hasn’t gone as planned for the Tigers (15-30, 2-13 AAC). They are in last place in the league standings and have won just one series the entire year.
If that weren’t enough, Memphis lost to USF 3-2 on Sunday in the series rubber match when more than a dozen players and coaches were beset with food poisoning in the hours after Bowlan’s magical performance on the mound.
Still, what Bowlan accomplished probably will be the lasting memory from this weekend – even if he, his teammates and his coaches didn’t immediately realize what he had done until after Saturday’s game ended.
“I actually had no idea I had that many strikeouts,” Bowlan said. “I was just locked in.”