THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Showcase  | Story | 12/28/2020

SoCal's Bowen: Let's play ball!

Jeff Dahn
Photo: Karson Bowen (Perfect Game)

FORT MYERS, Fla. – When a national health crisis mandates that baseball can’t be played in your own backyard, the best course of action is to grab your bats, gloves and spikes and make yourself at home in someone else’s backyard. And that’s exactly what top 2022 California catcher prospect Karson Bowen has done for the last six months.

More than 860 prospects from the prep classes of 2022, 2023 and 2024 arrived en masse at the jetBlue Park Player Development Complex early Monday morning willing and eager to get things started at the 19th annual Perfect Game National Underclass Showcase-Main Event.



And right there as perhaps the most willing and eager was Bowen, a baseball-loving kid from Anaheim Hills, Calif., and a junior at national prep powerhouse Orange (Calif.) Lutheran High School. Bowen is also a TCU commit who came into this week’s PG National Under-Main as the nation’s No. 51-ranked overall prospect in his class, which makes him the highest ranked 2022 in attendance.

“California is still shutdown so I’m just here to play baseball,” Bowen told PG on Monday shortly after completing his workout routine on a jetBlue Park complex backfield. “I’m trying to play as much as I can because we don’t know when California is going open back up; I’m just trying to play as much as possible.”

His appearance here is just further evidence of how committed Bowen’s been to record as much playing time as circumstances have allowed over these last nine months of 2020. It’s a late Christmas gift that has come courtesy of Guerry Baldwin and the East Cobb Astros program, and no gift has ever been more appreciated.

Bowen, a regular competitor with the Huntington Beach-based GBG Renegades, had connected with the EC Astros program as a 13u player a few years back and early association opened dozens of doors for him this past summer. It was really the only route for him to take while his home state remains in a virtual lockdown due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

When Karson’s parents, David and Kris Bowen, first learned of the PG Under-Main Event and its place on the calendar – as well as Baldwin’s strong association with the event – they hoped to make this happen. They also liked that it would provide their youngest son with yet another excellent opportunity to perform on a national – albeit somewhat crowded – stage.

“We can’t play in California right now so anything we can do to get on the field is where we’re going to go,” Kris Bowen told PG on Monday. “And honestly, we also love the fields and we love Florida; it’s great weather right now.”

It was a beautiful day across Lee County Monday, with sunny skies, a light breeze and temperatures that climbed into the upper-70s. Conditions like those can leave just about every young prospect with an extra bounce in his step, especially when they’re being experienced during the last week of December.

Bowen found that extra bounce during Monday morning’s workout session. He threw 81 mph from behind the plate to second base, a velo that tied for the second-best effort of the day; his Pop time of 1.89-seconds was the day’s sixth-best effort but just .03-seconds off the event-best 1.86 produced by Evans, Ga.’s 2022 David Bell.

People everywhere have had to make radical adjustments to their routines over the last nine months but the fine folks in California have seemed to be hit the hardest during both waves of the unrelenting pandemic.

By attending Orange Lutheran, Karson Bowen is a member of one of the top high school programs in the entire country. Under the direction of head coach Eric Borba, the Lancers won three straight USA Baseball National High School Invitational championships from 2016-18 and were poised to make it four in a row until this year’s NHSI was cancelled by COVID-19.

“The baseball there and in the whole area is just so good; it’s like it’s just a bunch of ‘bred’ baseball players,” Bowen said. “Pretty much by living there you grow up being a good baseball player, along with everybody else.”

But even good baseball players aren’t able to play during a pandemic, at least not at the high school level.

According to Kris, the Bowens had formed a relationship with East Cobb’s Wes Etheridge, who had coached Karson when he played with the East Cobb Astros 13u at the 2018 PG 13u World Series in Cartersville, Ga.

Etheridge was able to help Karson find a spot on Baldwin’s powerhouse EC Astros 16u Texas Orange Squad this summer. It was a partnership made in heaven as Bowen earned all-tournament recognition three times while playing with the EC Astros 16u Texas Orange. (He also played with East Cobb Baseball at the PG WWBA World Championship here in Fort Myers in October and earned all-tournament recognition).

“Guerry has been really huge this summer letting me come out and play all the time,” Karson said. “He’s been helping with everything like getting me in front of the people that I need to be in front of. Getting to play with the Astros all summer, it’s been a lot of fun.”

And it’s certainly not as if Bowen was walking into a group of unfamiliar faces when he arrived at the jetBlue Park complex early Monday morning. He is a member of the PG Orange team, Guerry Baldwin’s top-prospect laden entry that is annually a top draw at the Under-Main Event.

Bowen is joined on the roster by fellow 2022s in Hartselle, Ala., righthander Elliott Bray (No. 363, Auburn) and Winston, Ga., outfielder Chandler Pollard (No. 389, uncommitted).

More conspicuous are the 2023s who are onboard, dudes like Cedartown, Ga., shortstop Dylan Cupp (No. 17, Mississippi State), Atlanta shortstop Antonio Anderson (No. 19, uncommitted), Hoover, Ala. Third baseman Walter Ford (No. 21, Alabama) and Woodstock, Ga., outfielder John Cooper Williams (No. 30, uncommitted).

“It’s just awesome; it’s always a good reunion,” Bowen said. “I haven’t seen them in a few months because of the holidays – we just took a break – so it’s always good to get back out here with them.”

Added Kris: “Even though we’re not playing in California, it’s great to have family outside of California and this is our family now.”

It makes it especially good because this East Cobb Astros 16u Texas Orange team did a lot of winning together in 2020, claiming five PG WWBA championships over the summer; those included national titles at the PG 16u National Elite Championship and the PG 16u World Series.

“It’s been everything that I could have hoped for,” Bowen said, “and who doesn’t want to win. … Being around good players always helps. You want to be better than them and you also want to help them win; you just want to play good.”

David Bowen, Karson’s dad, played football at San Jose State and Karson also played football and basketball until recently before deciding to concentrate his efforts on baseball.

Shortstop was his position of choice in his early years on the youth level but that changed when he was about 8 years old. David was coaching the team at that time and none of  the other youngsters wanted to catch so dad told son, in so many words, “Get back there, you’re all we’ve got.”

It’s a position change that’s worked out pretty well. Bowen entered the Under-Main as the No. 4-ranked catcher in the national class of 2022 and No. 2 in California. David did play baseball at the prep level before moving on to play college football and Karson said his dad played an over-sized role in his early development.

“My dad has been huge; I hit with him every day,” Bowen said. “He was a good athlete and he knows all the athletic stuff and over the years he’s learned a bunch about hitting and catching and throwing.”

The PG National Under-Main is not Karson Bowen’s first showcase experience, either. He was included on the Top Prospect List at the 2018 PG 14u West Showcase, the 2019 PG 14u National Showcase and at this year’s PG West Coast Top Prospect Games.

His performance at the PG 14u National earned Bowen an invitation to the 2019 PG 14u Select Baseball Festival, also in Fort Myers, and he began to feel the glow of the national spotlight for the first time in his young career.

“That’s probably my favorite PG event that I’ve ever been to; it was just so fun,” he said. “They took care of us and I got to play at jetBlue (Park) so it was awesome.”

Bowen has also been active in USA Baseball, playing for the 15u US National Team in 2018 and the 15u US National Team in 2019; he was the starting catcher in all eight games for the Gold Medal-winning 15u team and led the team with nine RBI and 11 total bases.

But it was on the PG travel ball circuit this summer where Bowen really shined. Hitting from the right side, he played in 37 games and hit .293 (22-for-75) with nine extra-base hits – including three triples – 22 runs, 22 RBI, a .485 OBP and 12 stolen bases.

Kris Bowen told PG that she really enjoys the social aspect of travel baseball, how it leads to new friendships and long-lasting relationships between not only the players and their peers but the families as well.

It also requires the young players to become disciplined in their everyday lives, making sure they eat properly and get plenty of sleep while maintaining the highest levels of physical and mental toughness. That’s a tall order for anyone, let alone a 16-year-old high school junior.

But Karson has done well in this pursuit so far and shows no sign of slowing down. As Kris Bowen said, she feels it’s important for these young guys to not only continue learning but to continue to give back and teach the younger kids who are coming up behind them the proper ins-and-outs. It’s not all about the friendships, she said, but what you’re getting out of it and what you’re putting back into it.

Bowen is listed at 5-feet-11, 210 pounds and considered a very good defensive catcher. He has also committed to play for coach Jim Schlossnagle at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas, which seems to fit his personality.

He is, according to his mom, an avid fisherman, so maybe getting out of Orange County, Calif., will also give him an opportunity to head out to one of the dozens of lakes that surround the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

“Going to TCU, that was a huge decision for me and my family and it was a great opportunity; it was everything I wanted,”  he said. “They have (a) good baseball (program) – they win – good school, good business program. It’s right in Dallas and I’m a big Cowboys fan so it all works out.”

On the baseball side of things, Bowen likes to cheer on his hometown Angels and superstar Mike Trout, among others; the family has season tickets to the Angels and is hopeful they might even get a chance to use them in 2021.

Karson Bowen is saying good riddance to a challenging 2020 and ringing in 2021 by soaking in everything that comes with being involved with the PG National Underclass-Main Event. He feels encouraged that Orange Lutheran will have a season this spring and he bases that on the fact that the school just released its 2021 schedule – local health officials will have the final say, of course.

But now is the time for fun in the sun and for using the experience to gain knowledge of yourself and those around you.

“At this event, there’s a lot of people here; there’s a lot of really good kids here,” Kris said. “You want your kid to walk away knowing that they did their best but also to stay humble. We really work on, are we staying humble, are we helping other people? You might be ranked the highest but that doesn’t mean that will last.

“Rankings don’t necessarily always mean that’s where you are in life. You still have to be a good person, a good son, a good brother; there are other things. So we try to balance that out and it’s important to us that you stay well-rounded.”

One of these days, hopefully very soon, young California standouts will be able to play in their own backyards again. In the meantime, top prospects like Karson Bowen will live by the mantra, “Have ball, will travel.”
Give us your feedback
Showcase | Story | 11/17/2025

Junior National & Sophomore National Set
Hannah Jo Groves
Article Image
PG Sets Dates for 2026 Junior and Sophomore National Showcases Perfect Game announced the dates and location for the 2026 Junior and Sophomore National Showcases - premier events that boast many MLB alumni from years past.  Both the Junior and Sophomore National showcases will be held at the East Cobb complex in Marietta, Georgia in 2026 and carry a torch as the unofficial kick off to the summer circuit as college recruiting coordinators pack the stands and find the next wave to commit come August 1st.  The Junior National will be June 6-10 and the Sophomore National will immediately follow - June 10-13.  Greg Sabers, Perfect Game’s Vice President of Scouting and Showcases, shared his excitement ahead of some of the most top-tier events of next summer.  “The PG Junior National in 2026 is the premier event for the top players in the Class of 2028,”...
Read More
College | Recruiting | 12/15/2025

Recruiting Notebook: December 15

John McAdams
Article Image
Tucker Rice (27 MS) bumping up to 91; living hi-80s from real fast arm. Good SL @ 77-79 w/ depth & sold w/ intent. Loads of traits & strikes. #WWBA @PG_Uncommitted @PG_DeepSouth pic.twitter.com/DEjFqRcsIY — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 6, 2025 Tucker Rice, RHP, Class of 2027 Commitment: Alabama Alabama has continued to stay red hot in the recruiting trail ever since August 1st rolled around on the calendar and have continued to stack major pieces in their ’27 class. They dip into Mississippi to land one of the premier arms and one that’s stood out on the circuit for quite some time. It’s a fast arm and the athleticism certainly shines working down the slope. The velocity has continued to tick up over the last calendar year and reached into the low-90s towards the end of the summer. He’s confident in his changeup and the breaking ball is...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 12/15/2025

17u Tourney All-American Team

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
There’s a lot of talent throughout this 2026 class, filled with the big-name stars, to talent that spreads across the nation. It’s been a lot of fun seeing these prospects grow and develop over the years, from the days of watching some of these guys at the 13/14u days at events on the circuit, to now where they are all graduating seniors in 2026. There’s been new faces who have popped along the way over the years, even in 2026, where some players who were relatively undiscovered, have come out and made a name for themselves with a statement performance. Between the familiar and the new, there’s a lot of names on this list that are going to be quite regularly talked about on the circuit, and for good reason.  Whether it’s PG All-Americans or not, there’s a lot of names with superstar potential at the next level. We’ve got 14 PG All-Americans...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 12/13/2025

Finest in the Field: Class of 2029

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Finest in the Field: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 | Class of 2028 These guys might just be entering high school, but they've certainly already made a name for themselves on the national circuit, especially with their abilities on the defensive side of things.  C: Xavier Rodriguez (Logansville, GA) Rodriguez is a polished defender with real arm strength behind the dish, while showcasing the ability to impact the baseball with authority to all fields evident by thirty of his sixty-five hits going for extra-bases including seven bombs. He handles high-level pitching extremely well, commands his staff and his offensive prowess makes him a true two-way asset. 1B: Cooper Knight (Buda, TX) Knight is a smooth operator at first base with plenty of range, fluidity and agility in his footwork around the bag. Add-in a rocket for an arm, the ability to change slots and to...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 12/12/2025

Scout Stories: Part 5

AJ Denny
Article Image
Best Game I Saw: The Dream NTL 18U vs. MBA Scout Team Murphy Jupiter always brings out the best, and we got fireworks from the jump. Turner Marshall gave The Dream an outstanding 4+ innings of work on the mound, holding a lethal MBA team at bay with Chance Dixon, Derrick Carter, and Ellis Appling providing an offensive spark out of the gate for the Georgia based boys. However, it was only a matter of time before the talent on the other side got going, as MBA erased a 3-run deficit in the 5th to take a 4-3 lead led by a Parker Loew HR. The Dream then took command again in the Top of the 6th, before MBA punched right back with a huge 5-run inning in the bottom half capped off by a clutch RBI single from Matthew Kerrigan, ending a wild sequence with tons of notable performances from two very competitive rosters. Best Tournament Performance I Saw: Surely someone has already brought this...
Read More
College | Story | 12/12/2025

College Notebook: December 12

Craig Cozart
Article Image
Nebraska Cornhuskers 2025 Highlights: The Cornhuskers were a difficult team to figure in ’25 as they finished with 33 wins, played just .500 (15-15) in the Big Ten but had some big wins at various times during the season and got hot at the right time. They knocked off then #16 Vanderbilt in the second game of the year, beat #5 Oregon State 2-out-of-3 at home in late March and then got hot at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha to win the Big Ten Tournament. They beat Michigan State in a 10-inning thriller before taking care of #4 Oregon, knocking off Penn State and then shutout #13 UCLA to punch their ticket to the Chapel Hill Regional. Head coach Will Bolt has now led his alma mater to three conference titles and three NCAA Regional appearances during his six years in Lincoln. No different than when he was a player, Bolt’s teams play with passion and toughness, this was never more...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 12/12/2025

Finest in the Field: Class of 2028

Troy Sutherland
Article Image
Finest in the Field: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 You like athletes? You like defenders who can impact a game at any given point? Look not further than this class as it's loaded from coast-to-coast with elite defenders all over the diamond.  C: Brogan Witcher, Bakersfield, CA Our scouting staff got several strong looks at Witcher whether that was at the Summer Kickoff, Sophomore National or the Underclass All American Games where he showcased his strong overall skillset and especially his advanced ability behind the plate. His 6-foot-3,180 pound build looks like one that will fill in quite nicely and be that big and physical catcher’s frame. His arm talent is undeniable where he gets it out quick and runs it up to 79 mph on throwdowns to 2nd (1.84 pop). Besides the standout catch/throw ability, we’ve seen him frame/receive strong arms and block it well during...
Read More
Softball | Softball Tournament | 12/11/2025

PG Softball "Toys 4 Tots" Fundraiser 18U division

Dave Durbala
Article Image
BURLINGTON, IA - 2025 Perfect Game Softball Toys 4 Tots Fundraiser One Day, December 7, 2025. Kicking off the holiday season, six teams participated in this one day, 3 game guarantee tournament in the 18u Division. We would like to thank those that donated a toy, and know that they will be distributed to area underprivileged children through a local charity organization. Following are some of the top performers from the weekend. Earning Tournament MV-Pitcher was Jolee Strohmeyer (2026 Dubuque, IA), a RHP/UTIL with tournament champion Lady Expos Blue. Strohmeyer shows hitters a consistent and repeatable motion and delivery with good use of the legs in the drive phase, and a quick and aggressive arm whip. Working with a six pitch mix of fastball, change-up, rise, drop, curve and screw, Strohmeyer topped out at 60 mph, and showed good movement  as she worked her rise and curve just out...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 12/11/2025

Scout Stories: Part 4

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
Scout Notes: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Best Game I Saw: Hudson Reed (‘26, GA) torches this ball to deep CF for a solo 💣. Generates easy power that plays to the big part of the yard. Middle of the order traits #UBCWest @PG_Georgia @PG_Uncommitted pic.twitter.com/UXqDVFmUBx — Perfect Game California (@California_PG) June 18, 2025 I was fortunate enough to see a lot of highly competitive games with loads of talent on the field, the game that sticks out to me the most was Alpha Prime 2026 vs. ZT National Prospects at the UBC West. The game was an efficiently played affair with arms dominating on both sides. Graham Schlicht was masterful for Alpha, striking out 12 hitters over 5 dominant innings. PG All-American Julian Cazares came out of the pen blowing smoke, touching 97 mph with the fastball. On the other side, Jake Carbaugh surrendered just one hit and...
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 12/11/2025

PG Believe In Baseball Announces Awards Dinner

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   THE PERFECT GAME BELIEVE IN BASEBALL FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES DETAILS FOR FIRST ANNUAL “IN THE SPIRIT OF THE GAME” AWARDS DINNER AND AUCTION   Los Angeles, California (Thursday, December 11, 2025) – The Perfect Game Believe in Baseball Foundation, together with Perfect Game leadership of Chairman Rick Thurman and CEO Rob Ponger, has announced the inaugural “In the Spirit of the Game” event, an evening of baseball and laughter, taking place Saturday, January 31, 2026, at the iconic Laugh Factory in Hollywood, Calif. The evening supports the Foundation’s mission to provide financial assistance and resources that allow deserving young athletes to play, learn and grow through the...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 12/11/2025

Finest in the Field: Class of 2027

AJ Denny
Article Image
Finest in the Field: Class of 2026 Elite defenders from coast to coast certainly seems to be a strength and to think you could make another top-tier team without thinking, speaks to the real depth this group possesses. The infield is a no-doubt strength of the group, but what catcher Dariel Carrion can do behind the plate is like something we haven't seen in a while in the prep ranks with an absolutely bazooka of an arm.  C: Dariel Carrion (San Juan, PR)  It isn’t often you get a catching prospect as athletic and natural as Dariel Carrion, a big reason why he holds the rank of #1 player in PR and #18 nationally. Metrics wise, the 5-foot-10, 210 pound San Juan native is all you can ask for and more, posting a sub 1.80 pop time with an 84 mph arm behind the dish. He has both contact and clear power threat on the offensive end, ending 2025 with a .337 BA and 4 HRs while also...
Read More
Loading more articles...
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2025 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.