Prep Baseball Report

Bowman and Smith Lead Bullard on Mound


Nico Moran
East Texas Insider

BULLARD, TX -  It was a cold, windy evening in East Texas for opening day between the Bullard Panthers and Rusk Eagles. A steady breeze remained constant all evening from right center field, but that did not seem to affect the pitching as much as it did the hitting. It was a well played game defensively for both ends, and came down to simple offensive execution for the Bullard Panthers who pulled out a 3-1 victory.

2019 Oklahoma State recruit, Colton Bowman, did not hesitate at all to get things started. He came out with nine straight fastballs at 89 MPH, before popping a couple 90’s to finish off the inning with three strikeouts. Bullard pushed a run across in the first after a single from lead off man, 2021 Bryce Jewell who made his way around to third, scored on a sac fly from 2021 Gage Wakefield.

The Eagles returned the favor when they came out hunting fastballs in the top of the second. Austin Gates picked up the first hit of the game for the Eagles when he drove a 90 mph Bowman offering to left field on an 0-2 count. A walk and a couple passed balls later, the Eagles were threatening. Landon Gates drove in his older brother, Austin, on a ground ball to second base. Rusk still had men in scoring position but Bowman would minimize when he made a nice play on a squeeze attempt and induced a ground ball to end the threat.

The Bullard offense threatened again in the bottom of the third, but freshman southpaw, JD Thompson, came on in relief and put out the threat. He got the Eagles back in the dugout when he forced Dakotah Walsworth to pop out to end the inning. From there it would pretty much be all pitching until the bottom of the 6th.

Bullard got two runs late to take a 3-1 lead and close out the game.

Final Score: Bullard 3, Rusk 1

SCOUT NOTES

  

Colton Bowman, LHP, Bullard HS, 2019
Oklahoma State Recruit 6-foot-2, 195 pound frame that has really filled in to a proportional build. The lefty pitched only from the stretch and started with a controlled leg lift that fell into an explosive delivery with good downhill action. Glove side was active and he had good rotation to his finish. Worked from a 3/4 slot and struck out the first three batters he faced on straight fastballs. Worked the FB primarily but spun a few breaking balls late at 72-74 mph. We have seen more of slider look in the past from Bowman, but he definitely had more depth and 1-7 type shape on his breaking ball. Sat consistently at 89 mph topped 90 mph.

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