Bowen Had Instant Connection With Kentucky
August 26, 2020
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Bowen Had Instant Connection With Kentucky
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Blake Bowen
Class of 2023 / 3B
Rankings
StateRank: 21 / POS: 1
Player Information
-
Graduating Class: 2023
-
Primary Position: 3BSecondary Position: SS
-
High School: WoosterState: OH
- Summer Team: Reds Scout Team
-
Height: 6-2Weight: 205lbs
- Bat/Throw: L/R
Statistics
Pitching
80
Max FB
(02/09/20)
77 - 80
FB
(02/09/20)
62 - 65
CB
(02/09/20)
70 - 71
CH
(02/09/20)
Position
6.96
60-yard
(02/20/22)
82
INF Velo
(02/20/22)
97
Exit Velo
(02/20/22)
4.44
H-1st
(06/18/19)
Power Speed Score
(02/20/22)
Trackman - Hitting
97.0
Exit Velocity (max)
(02/20/22)
87.9
Exit Velocity (avg)
(08/02/20)
300
Distance (avg)
(08/02/20)
364
Distance (max)
(08/02/20)
Hard Hit %
(02/20/22)
Sweet Spot %
(02/20/22)
Line Drive %
(02/15/21)
Fly Ball %
(08/02/20)
Ground Ball %
(02/14/21)
2022 Ohio ProCase (Invite Only)
Feb 20, 2022
Trackman - Hitting
Exit Velocity (max)
97
Exit Velocity (avg)
82.6
Distance (avg)
176
Distance (max)
325
Hard Hit %
Sweet Spot %
Line Drive %
Fly Ball %
Ground Ball %
2021 Ohio ProCase (Invite Only)
Feb 15, 2021
Trackman - Hitting
Exit Velocity (max)
90.6
Exit Velocity (avg)
86.2
Distance (avg)
189
Distance (max)
299
Hard Hit %
Sweet Spot %
Line Drive %
Fly Ball %
Ground Ball %
Scout Day: Ohio Elite North 2.14.21
Feb 14, 2021
Trackman - Hitting
Exit Velocity (max)
95.4
Exit Velocity (avg)
86.4
Distance (avg)
198
Distance (max)
343
Hard Hit %
Sweet Spot %
Line Drive %
Fly Ball %
Ground Ball %
2020 PBR Future Games (Ohio Invite Only)
Aug 2, 2020
Trackman - Hitting
Exit Velocity (max)
94.1
Exit Velocity (avg)
87.9
Distance (avg)
300
Distance (max)
364
Hard Hit %
Sweet Spot %
Line Drive %
Fly Ball %
Ground Ball %
2020 Southern Ohio Top Prospect Games (Invite Only)
Jul 6, 2020
Trackman - Hitting
Exit Velocity (max)
94.1
Exit Velocity (avg)
85.9
Distance (avg)
223
Distance (max)
357
Hard Hit %
Sweet Spot %
Line Drive %
Fly Ball %
Ground Ball %
Blast - Hitting
24.4
Hand Speed (max)
(02/20/22)
22.3
Hand Speed (avg)
(02/20/22)
76.8
Bat Speed (max)
(02/20/22)
70.2
Bat Speed (avg)
(02/20/22)
Rot. Acc (max)
(07/06/20)
Rot. Acc (avg)
(07/06/20)
On Plane Eff (avg)
(02/20/22)
MaxOnPlaneEfficiency
(02/20/22)
2022 Ohio ProCase (Invite Only)
Feb 20, 2022
Blast - Hitting
Hand Speed (max)
24.4
Hand Speed (avg)
22.3
Bat Speed (max)
76.8
Bat Speed (avg)
70.2
Rot. Acc (max)
Rot. Acc (avg)
On Plane Eff (avg)
MaxOnPlaneEfficiency
Scout Day: Ohio Elite North 2.14.21
Feb 14, 2021
Blast - Hitting
Hand Speed (max)
22.1
Hand Speed (avg)
21.4
Bat Speed (max)
75.3
Bat Speed (avg)
69.4
Rot. Acc (max)
Rot. Acc (avg)
On Plane Eff (avg)
MaxOnPlaneEfficiency
2020 PBR Future Games (Ohio Invite Only)
Aug 2, 2020
Blast - Hitting
Hand Speed (max)
23.2
Hand Speed (avg)
22.1
Bat Speed (max)
73
Bat Speed (avg)
67.3
Rot. Acc (max)
Rot. Acc (avg)
On Plane Eff (avg)
2020 Southern Ohio Top Prospect Games (Invite Only)
Jul 6, 2020
Blast - Hitting
Hand Speed (max)
24
Hand Speed (avg)
21.9
Bat Speed (max)
74.9
Bat Speed (avg)
69.4
Rot. Acc (max)
Rot. Acc (avg)
On Plane Eff (avg)
Videos
(8/2/20)
(7/6/20)
Player News
- Ohio Procase 'Most Talented We Have Had Yet' - Mar 1, 2022
- Results From 2022 Ohio ProCase - Feb 21, 2022
- 2021 Ohio ProCase - Quick Hits - Mar 4, 2021
- 2021 Scout Day: Ohio Elite North - Quick Hits - Mar 2, 2021
- Results From 2021 Scout Day: Ohio Elite North - Feb 16, 2021
- Results From 2021 Ohio ProCase - Feb 16, 2021
- Bowen Had Instant Connection With Kentucky - Aug 26, 2020
- 2020 Northeast Future Games - New Look, Same Excitement - Ohio Prospects - Aug 13, 2020
- 2020 Northeast Future Games - Ohio Prospects Advanced Analytics - Aug 7, 2020
- 2020 Northeast Future Games - Team Ohio Day One Game Notes - Aug 6, 2020
- 2020 Northeast Future Games - Team Ohio Day Two Game Notes - Aug 6, 2020
- Results From 2020 Northeast Future Games - Aug 3, 2020
- 2020 Northeast Future Games - Team Ohio Workout Day Notes - Aug 3, 2020
- 2020 Northeast Future Games: Meet The Team - Team Ohio - Jul 29, 2020
- 7/16-7/19 Michigan Limited Series - Scout Blog - Jul 22, 2020
- 2020 Southern Ohio Top Prospect Games - Quick Hits - Jul 15, 2020
- Results From 2020 Southern Ohio Top Prospect Games - Jul 9, 2020
- 2020 Southern Ohio Top Prospect Games - Advanced Metrics w/Trackman and Blast Tech - Jul 9, 2020
- 2020 Preseason All-State Underclass - Complete Evaluations - Mar 8, 2020
- 2020 Scout Day: Ohio Elite North - Quick Hits - Mar 3, 2020
- Results from 2020 Scout Day: Ohio Elite North - Feb 24, 2020
- 2020 Preseason All-State Underclass Wrapup - An Opportunity To 'Show Their Skills' For Underclassmen - Feb 14, 2020
- 2020 Preseason All-State Underclass - Advanced Pitching Metrics - Feb 13, 2020
- Results from 2020 Preseason All-State Underclass - Feb 10, 2020
- 2019 Central Ohio Fall Limited Series - Pitching Velocities - Sep 17, 2019
- 2019 Northern Ohio Prospect Games - Complete Evaluations - Jul 15, 2019
- 2019 Future 50 At Ohio State - Class Of 2023 - Complete Evaluations - Jul 2, 2019
- Results from 2019 Northern Ohio Prospect Games - Jun 21, 2019
- 2019 Northern Ohio Prospect Games - Top Performers - Jun 21, 2019
- 2019 Future 50 At Ohio State - Class Of 2023 - Top Performers - Jun 14, 2019
- Results from 2019 Future 50 At Ohio State - Class Of 2023 - Jun 13, 2019
- 2019 Scout Day: IVL Baseball - Complete Evaluations - Mar 6, 2019
- Results from 2019 Junior Future Games Tryouts (12U-14U) - Mar 4, 2019
- 2019 Scout Day: IVL Baseball - Sneak Peek - Feb 12, 2019
- 2019 Scout Day: IVL Baseball - Top Performers - Feb 11, 2019
- Results from 2019 Scout Day: IVL Baseball - Feb 8, 2019
Bowen Had Instant Connection With Kentucky
WOOSTER - The recruiting process started early for Blake Bowen.
“Last year the Junior Future Games was when it all started,” Bowen reflected. “That’s when I started getting invited to camps.”
Interest in the 16th-rated 2023 in Ohio was a no-brainer.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to play Division I college baseball,” Bowen noted. “It started becoming a reality when I was facing some of the best pitchers in the state and hitting them as an eighth grader. I was getting a lot of confidence.”
Kentucky was one of the schools taking notice.
“I had a tournament in North Carolina two weeks before the Future Games,” Bowen said. “We won the tournament and, staying in the hotel that night, coach Rob (McNerney) said to give coach (Will) Coggin (the recruiting coordinator) a call. I instantly felt a connection. We talked again before the Future Games and had a nice conversation.
“Then after the Future Games we talked again. They felt I had a good BP and held my own against great pitchers in the northeast. I talked with (head) coach (Nick) Mingione after that and he said I was going to go on a virtual tour with coach Coggin. They offered late Sunday night after the Future Games and I committed on the spot.”
The 6-2 170-pound left-handed hitting infielder impressed the coaches of the SEC program.
“They really like my hit tool,” Bowen related. “They really like my projectability.”
One of two Ohio sophomores now committed to Kentucky, Bowen is excited about the idea of playing ball in the south.
“I was really thinking of staying home in the north, but the SEC is awesome so it was hard to decline,” noted Bowen, who was talking with Kent State and Ohio State prior to the Future Games and with West Virginia afterward. “Kentucky, being the closest school in the SEC, just felt like a good fit.”
The virtual tour only cemented the decision to commit to a program still in search of its first SEC tournament championship.
“Playing in the SEC has always been a dream,” Bowen said. “Once I saw the weight room on the virtual tour, and then the hitting facility and the dorms and the whole campus … it just seemed right.
“My goal was to see if I could get committed by winter at a good school that I felt comfortable with. But when I saw Kentucky I felt there was no need to wait any longer on committing.”
The Wooster sophomore points to three things he hopes to provide the Kentucky program.
“Leadership, a good bat and, hopefully, bring a national championship,” the fourth-ranked infielder in Ohio’s 2023 class said.
Recent improvement, surprisingly, was enhanced by COVID-19 according to Bowen.
“In a way the quarantine helped me,” Bowen explained. “I’ve been in the weight room non-stop. I’ve been hitting with high school teammates and perfecting my swing. I need to get stronger now. I need to gain a little bit of speed and really work on my fielding. Those are my two weak spots.”
As for what position Bowen plays in college, that is still to be determined.
“They said to play shortstop as long as I can but what they see in me is I will end up at third,” Bowen noted.
His father Jeff, who is originally from Michigan, has been the biggest influence on Bowen.
“My dad has always been there for me when I need to hit, take ground balls or get in the weight room,” Bowen said. “He played baseball at Cedarville and is the main reason I’m where I am today.”
Heading off to college 41/2 hours from home is exciting for the 15-year-old, whose first contact with a college was with Kent State the second week of the summer
“I have to admit I’m glad the recruiting process is over,” Bowen said. “It takes a lot of stress off my shoulders. Now I can focus on the game I love.”