JEFFERSON’S Matt Bowen set himself on a mission to earn a college baseball scholarship. That hard labor paid off Thursday.
The Dragon lefthander signed with nearby Emmanuel after a solid senior season for Jefferson.
“I’ve actually been trying really hard to get into college, so this is a great accomplishment,” Bowen said.
Bowen, who recorded two wins this year for the Dragons, finished with a 1.93 ERA this spring and held opponents to a .213 batting average. He was a second-team All 8-AA South selection.
“The second half of the year, he was really big for us,” Jefferson coach Tommy Knight said. “He pitched in a couple of big games against two of the better teams in the region — Elbert County and North Oconee.”
Knight added that Bowen “gave us a chance to win” the North Oconee game, though Jefferson lost 3-1.
Emmanuel found out about Bowen last year through is involvement with Team Georgia, a national team. Bowen then went to Emmanuel for an open tryout.
Bowen had actually verbally committed to a junior college, Andrew College, but said Emmanuel offered more scholarship money and is much closer.
“It’s about four hours closer,” Bowen said.
Bowen, who said he isn’t sure what kind of time he’ll see on the mound next year, wants to increase his consistency and improve his fastball velocity to around 87-88 mph.
Knight praised Bowen’s hard work.
“He said, ‘coach I want to go play in college somewhere,’” Knight said. “And he worked his butt off and got better each year.”
