Buchanan Ready To ‘Live Baseball’ At Bowling Green

Joey Buchanan LHP / 1B / Milford, OH / 2025

PLEASANT PLAIN - While there were some nerves being an uncommitted senior, Joey Buchanan knew all along it would work out.

“I definitely felt a little behind,” the eighth-rated 2025 left-handed pitcher in Ohio admitted. “All my friends were committing or committed a year ago or longer. But as far as the timing, I was where I needed to be. I had the resources to help along the way and I’m grateful for that. I knew it was getting late but I knew everything would work out the way it was supposed to work out.”

That proved to be the case for the Milford High School senior, who is now a commit to Bowling Green.

“They first reached out at the beginning of last summer,” Buchanan reflected. “They had a connection with one of my pitching coaches at Alpha Baseball and a relationship built. They watched me a couple of times in the summer and in the fall asked me to come on a visit where I received an offer.”

The 17-year-old accepted the offer a month later.

“Stepping on campus, everything felt right,” related the 29th-ranked senior southpaw in the state. “None of the others felt how BG did with the environment of the practice. I met the staff and the players as well.”

Eastern Kentucky was also a consideration for Buchanan, but roster changes made things more difficult.

“It was a long process, from Aug. 1 of last year to November,” Buchanan explained. “There were a lot of conversations with a lot of different schools and a lot didn’t turn out to be anything. It was a roller coaster emotionally. There were a lot of highs and lows, the high definitely making a decision and committing.”

Buchanan pointed to Prep Baseball and Alpha Baseball as vital in his recruiting process, listing Greg Williams, Jon Kessling and Nick Bennett among the key people.

“Having those resources around to get me seen made my recruitment so much better,” Buchanan noted. “Kyle Weldon (Prep Baseball Ohio Director of Scouting) would pick up the phone any time for me. The same with my high school coaches and personal coaches. I’m grateful to all of them for helping make it all manageable.”

BG sees the 6-1 180-pounder being a great fit for the Mid-American Conference program.

“They had a need for left-handed arms,” Buchanan said. “A couple are graduating next year and one or two are draft guys. When they saw me throw they liked my fastball and breaking balls. They knew I had a legit three-pitch mix and I’m working on a fourth pitch. They knew I would work well in their rotation.”

Playing at the next level is a goal that started in his childhood.

“Since I knew college baseball was a thing, I knew it was what I wanted to do,” Buchanan said. “Every kids’ dream is playing pro ball. The more I grew up and the more I matured, I knew I wanted to do this. After a while it became less of a dream and more of a process working toward it.”

Improvement helped make it happen.

“This fall and last summer I put on more weight,” Buchanan reflected. “Getting closer to the time brought a lot of motivation for me knowing I had to make something happen. Lifting consistently and a throwing program brought results. My last bullpen was my best, 89.6. But it’s more than velocity. I wasn’t only 88-89 consistently, but I felt more confident. My body is feeling better. I’m locating, throwing offspeed for strikes. My overall pitching game has continued to improve and I know as time goes on it will get even better.”

The Milford senior is of the belief a big future lies ahead at BG.

“They’re going to have a guy who’s going to live and die for the team,” Buchanan said. “Any time I step on the mound they have a guy who will do anything to win. I throw with a certain confidence, a certain mentality. I’m a guy that will always have their back and do anything to continue the success of the program.”

A commitment was a “relieving” feeling according to Buchanan.

“I remember the day he called me when we talked and he made the offer better,” Buchanan said. “I knew that’s where I wanted to be, the way they valued me and showed they wanted me. That was the deciding factor when I committed. It was awesome.”

A 4.0 student leaning toward a major in aviation at the university located two hours from home, Buchanan is looking forward to what lies ahead.

“I love the aspect of playing all around the country,” Buchanan concluded. “When I’m a freshman, we open at Georgia Tech. It’s going to be exciting being around all the elite players and playing against all the elite players.

“I’m excited to experience the difference between high school and college,” added Buchanan. “When you go to college you’re living baseball. It’s exciting to know I’ll be completely surrounded by baseball when I get there.”