From ninth grade call-up to Wooster’s winningest pitcher
Brady Bowen has a career pitching record of 28-5 entering the postseason and is the winningest hurler in Wooster High history.
Wooster senior right-handed All-Ohio pitcher Brady Bowen made his varsity debut on the mound out of necessity as a lanky ninth-grader.
“Brady was so skinny that we couldn’t pitch him on windy days,” Generals coach Steve Young said. “He might have blown off the mound.”
Bowen recalled entering spring 2022 dreaming about being a star infielder in high school and one day becoming a great college hitter.
“Elisha Steiner got hurt, and (coach Young) didn’t know who to pitch in (Ohio Cardinal Conference) games,” Bowen said. “He trusted me in those games, even though he’d barely seen me pitch. Ever since then, it’s just been up from there. It’s just crazy because if he didn’t do that, who knows where I’d be now? He put his trust in me, and it changed everything.”
Four years later Bowen is hoping to put an exclamation point on one of the best baseball careers in Generals’ history. The 6-foot 175-pounder has signed a college scholarship to play for Akron as a pitcher, not a hitter.
Bowen has a career pitching record of 28-5 entering the postseason and is the winningest hurler in school history. The righty is 7-1 this spring with a 0.99 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 49.2 innings pitched.
Wooster (21-4, 11-1 OCC) won the outright league title, its fourth in five years, and Bowen was named the OCC Pitcher of the Year. He went 7-2 as a junior, 9-2 as a sophomore when he also was named the OCC’s top hurler and 5-0 as a freshman.
Bowen’s fastball tops out at 87 mph, but it’s his moxie and command of multiple pitches that truly set him apart.
“Since Brady’s freshman year, he comes in and just competes,” Young said. “He throws four pitches for a strike in any count.
“With him there’s been a number of times we’re able to throw 3-2 sliders, 2-0 breaking balls or 3-1 change-ups. He just kind of works hitters backwards. He competes and wants the ball in his hand. We know when he’s got the ball, we’ve got a good chance to win that day.”
Although Bowen was recruited as only a pitcher by Akron, he’s also made a big impact as an infielder and hitter. He plays third base when not pitching, hits third in the batting order and has a .416 average with 19 RBI, 29 runs, nine doubles and a home run.
Wooster hadn’t been to the regional tournament for 25 years before making back-to-back Division I trips in 2023 and 2024.
With five fourth-year starters in the lineup, the Generals believe they have the talent and experience to cap their careers by winning the state title in Div. III. This is the first spring the tournament has been expanded from four to seven divisions.
“I feel like we’ve done a lot of great things here these last three years,” Bowen said. “We have a lot of accomplishments, but we haven’t got over the hump of the regional semifinal.
“I think that we have the team this year to do that. The last two years we’ve had really good teams, but I feel like we’re older now, we’re more experienced and we know how to win those big games now. I think we have the team to do it. We just have to execute and play.”
Bowen is joined by fourth-year starters Hayden Meese (CF, .425 average, team-high 25 RBI and 21 SB), Ben Winge (SS, .348, team-highs three 3B, three HR, 32 R), Sam Nielsen (P-1B, .254) and AJ Likowski (P-LF, .304, 21 RBI).
Bowen, Winge and Nielsen have all signed to play for Akron. Meese has accepted a football scholarship to Davidson, and Likowski has committed to play for John Carroll.
Meese covers as much ground as any center fielder around, but he doesn’t get a whole lot of action when Bowen is on the mound. Opponents are batting just .119 against him.
“It’s definitely different when Brady’s pitching,” said Meese, a first-team All-OCC pick. “He’s going to throw strikes no matter what. It’s just really fun to watch him from center field and see the movement of his pitches, how he can place pitches in different counts. I think I have the best view of it overall.”
Junior catcher Brian Lapp said Bowen brings the energy for every start on the mound.
“Brady’s very consistent,” said Lapp, who’s also 4-1 on the mound with a 0.71 ERA in 29.1 innings. “If he gets put in a tight spot, he gets himself out of it. He just knows how to handle himself.”
Probably the biggest thrill Bowen will look back on many years from now is he got to play with his brothers, Blake (Class of 2023) and sophomore Brock (Class of 2027). He has won a district title with both siblings.
Blake was a two-time All-Ohioan and is now a member of the Akron baseball team. Brock was a first-team All-OCC pick this spring and leads the team with a .472 batting average while going 4-1 on the mound with a 0.93 ERA in 30 innings.
“I never really thought I’d get to play four years with my brothers,” Brady Bowen said. “It’s just like from family to teammates, and it’s just that different type of feeling.”
Young said Brady Bowen is the most outgoing of the three brothers, but they all share a strong work ethic.
“When Brady’s somewhere, he’s usually the loudest guy there,” Young said. “They all three go at it the right way. They’re great kids on and off the field. Most coaches usually ask me, ‘Is Brock the last Bowen?’”
Young jokingly answers, “No, there’s three more.”
With the Bowen brothers being a part of four OCC titles over the last five years, none of the OCC coaches will shed a tear when Brock finally graduates.
As for the 2025 Generals, they’re hoping the 2025 season ends with tears of joy — as state champions.