THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,631 MLB PLAYERS | 16,402 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,631 MLB PLAYERS | 16,402 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in 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 | 8/13/2026

PG Honors Pat Gillick With Philly Showcase
Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Perfect Game to honor Pat Gillick in new Philadelphia Showcase  By Maya Heyman Perfect Game is bringing its elite showcase experience to Philadelphia’s FDR Park for the inaugural Philly Stars/Pat Gillick Showcase this weekend, honoring one of the greatest executives in MLB history in the city where he constructed his final of three World Series winners. The event will take place on Sunday, the same day as the DICK’S All-American Classic, taking place just across the street at Citizens Bank Park.  The showcase will allow Philadelphia-area players to gain exposure and will also honor Gillick, who has been a tremendous influence in both professional and amateur baseball.   Jered Goodwin, Vice President of Scouting Operations for Perfect Game, said the idea came naturally.  “Going to Philly made a lot of sense to honor Pat Gillick, who's been a...
Read More
Tournaments | Championship | 10/22/2026

Wildcatters Reign Supreme at 13u WWBA

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
After both the Best of the West and the Beast of the East wrapped up, a big conglomerate of high end talent and stacked teams descended upon West Palm for both the 13u and the 14u WWBA World Championships. While the weather threw a wrench into the plans early on and some adjustment was needed to ensure the event moved forward, it was nothing but sunshine and competitive baseball throughout Sunday and into the early morning Monday.  Kicking off with the 13u WWBA World Championship, the first thing to point out is the fact this was a wood bat tournament played on 60-90 fields and while the combo was a first for most, you wouldn't know it with their level of play throughout the weekend. In an unsurprising twist and a continuation of their 12u dominance, the 13u championship saw the #2 seeded Goldin Prospects lock horns with the top seeded Houston Wildcatters, aka the champion of the...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 10/22/2026

17u Coastal Fall Invitational

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Dalton Fisher (2028, China Grove, NC) stands at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, with a lean, projectable frame and room to add strength as he develops. Bats and throws right-handed and plays the outfield. Shows a good approach at the plate with quick hands, solid bat speed, and the ability to drive the ball to all fields. Fisher went 2-for-3 with 1 RBI, putting together a great day at the plate. Bradley Edwards (2028, Summerville,SC) Stands at 6-feet-5 225 strong build and the potential to generate considerable power. Bats and throws right handed is a right handed pitcher. Shows good arm strength and the ability to attack hitters while generating swings and misses. Demonstrates a competitive approach on the mound with the ability to challenge hitters in the zone. Recorded 4.2 innings pitched with 10 strikeouts, a 56% strike rate, and a fastball that topped out at 85 mph. Jackson Pierce (2028,...
Read More
Softball | Softball Tournament | 10/21/2026

PG Softball Chesterfield Fall Showcase 14U Division

Erica Beach
Article Image
2026 PG softball Chesterfield fall showcase 14U Division October 17th to 18th Chesterfield First Community Athletic Complex CHESTERFIELD, MO — It was a highly competitive weekend of softball as six teams battled it out on the field. In the end, the Midland Magic Wooster finished with a flawless 5-0 record, showcasing a dominant tournament performance by allowing only three runs while exploding for 65 runs of their own. Below we highlight some of the weekend’s shining stars. \ Abigail Doolittle (2030 - Edwardsville, Illinois) of Top Gun 2030-IL established herself as one of the tournament's most formidable hitters over five games, posting an astounding .727 batting average. Showcasing elite power and versatility, she racked up three singles, two doubles, two triples, and a home run. Doolittle drove in four runs, scored four times, drew a walk, and added a stolen base....
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 10/21/2026

Windy City Finale Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
‘27 RHP Jaxson Weiss (IL) pitched well in his 5 innings and put up some eye popping strikeout numbers. He punched out 10 and allowed only 2ER. FB T86 early and flashed a BB 72-75. #WCFinale https://t.co/M8GtCUgxyS — Perfect Game Illinois (@PG_Illinois) October 17, 2026 Jaxson Weiss (2027, New Lennox, Ill.) a right-handed pitcher put up big strikeout numbers in his start on Saturday. He worked five innings while punching out ten opposing hitters. The fastball topped out at 86 mph and sat in the 82-85 mph range most of the game. His breaking ball was his primary off-speed, living 72-75 mph. Weiss keeps his body under control throughout his delivery, helping him with his good command on the mound. He uses his lower half well with a nice leg drive and gets his hips through, guiding his backside. He pitched with confidence and stayed ahead of hitters most of the game. Hayden...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 10/19/2026

PG Draft: Jupiter Draft Movers

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
The WWBA World Championship remains one of the premier events on the draft calendar as all 30 major league organizations descend on Jupiter to evaluate some of the top talent in amateur baseball. The event serves as a pivotal checkpoint in the scouting process, giving established prospects an opportunity to further elevate their stock while lesser-known names have a chance to put themselves on the radar of various organizations. This year was no exception, as several players made strong impressions and positioned themselves for increased attention heading into the spring. With that being said, let’s dive into a few draft risers and sleepers who stood out in Jupiter. Calum Andersen (‘27,CAN) had his A stuff working today running the FB to 96 mph with a devastating horizontal SL at 85 mph that can break bats. Mixed in a late breaking 12/6 curveball at 78 mph that induces weak...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 10/20/2026

Jupiter Recap: Stars Being Stars

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
WWBA World Championship Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 PG Draft: Jupiter Draft Movers With the 2026 WWBA World Championship in the rearview mirror, we're going to begin our breakdowns of 4 different subcategories, beginning today with the Stars Being Stars category. Most of the players below are household names or were teetering on the edge of such recognition, using Jupiter as their launching pad. From Perfect Game All-Americans to some serious helium names for the MLB Draft, the PG crew breaks them all down below.  ‘27 Samir Mohammed (FL) racked up 11 Ks thru 5 IP on 75% strikes. FB lived 98-99, T100 w/ tons of ASR & life thru the zone. Hit 99 mph 10+ times incl his final pitch of the outing. Had his sharp vert CB on a string & faded the CHG effectively vs LHHs (clip). #LSU commit. @PG_Draft #WWBAWorlds @Florida_PG — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting)...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 10/21/2026

Jupiter Recap: Uncommitted...For Now

Kyler Peterson
Article Image
WWBA World Championship Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 PG Draft: Jupiter Draft Movers | Jupiter: Stars Being Stars Gets your reads in now because by the time you reach the end, some of the talent in this article might be giving their commitments to a college somewhere across the country. Every player below did something that caught out scout's eye and should certainly be on the radar for college coaches, if they aren't already.  Braxton Sykes (2028, Brunswick, Ga.) tossed a total of six innings down in Jupiter, collecting six strikeouts while failing to allow either a hit or earned run during his tenure on the mound. The 6-foot-2 right-hander showcased an impressive three-pitch mix with excellent feel to locate in every part of the strike zone. His fastball lived in the mid- to upper-80s mph range with more velocity to project for as Sykes continues to add strength and...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 10/22/2026

Jupiter Recap: Breakout Prospects

Kyler Peterson
Article Image
WWBA World Championship Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 PG Draft: Jupiter Draft Movers | Jupiter: Stars Being Stars | Jupiter: Uncommitted...For Now There's truly nothing better than a prospect staying fresh, making the trip to Jupiter and fully taking advantage of the opportunity to perform in front of all 30 MLB teams over the course the tournament. Some of the players below were already on the radar but took their status to the next level, while others made scout and recruiters do a double take and add themselves to follow lists.  Benjamin Faigin (2027, Monroe, N.J.) showed off some serious stuff on the mound in Jupiter, pitching with a ton of energy and confidence. The 6-foot southpaw ran his fastball up to 95 mph, sitting comfortably in the low-90s with good carry through the strike zone. He went to a more vertical curveball when ahead in counts, sequencing the...
Read More
Draft | Prospect Scouting Reports | 10/15/2026

Beyond the Board: C/UTL Gavin Kelly

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
Beyond the Board: SS Dylan Seward As the 2027 draft cycle moves through the fall and into the offseason, we kick off a new series called Beyond The Board. With each installment, we will provide an in-depth scouting report for some of the top players in the class, breaking down their tools, strengths, question marks, and overall projection. This week we are diving in West Virginia’s Gavin Kelly. The Mountaineer backstop posted a .382/.477/.725 slash line with 19 home runs, 44 extra-base hits, and helped lead WVU to Omaha in ‘26. Let’s dive in.  Player: Gavin Kelly  Position: C/UTL B/T: R/R Height: 6-foot-0 Weight: 175-pounds School: West Virginia Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pen. Physical Description: 6-0/175. Lean, athletic build. Sneaky strength throughout. Frame has room to fill out and get stronger.    Slo-mo look at the HR by Gavin Kelly (@WVUBaseball)....
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 10/15/2026

Big Offense Propels TBT/FTB to Title

Hannah Jo Groves
Article Image
Big Offense Wins TBT/FTB Phillies Scout WWBA Freshman Title Runs scoring in every inning led to the TBT/FTB Phillies Scout Team taking home the 2026 PG WWBA Freshman World Championship - winning over Canes National 15U 10-5. It had been a long week in West Palm Beach for the freshmen coming in from around the country to go up against the best of the best. While they had gotten to play on the backfields during the whole tournament, the players who made it to the championship game got to play it in the CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches Stadium. TBT/FTB showed their defensive strength right away - executing quickly to retire each of the first three batters. With the bats in their hands, they also showed speed to deliver - with Luca Briggs batting Trey Vandergriff in for the first run of the game and Kingston George quickly plating Briggs with a double in the next at-bat. In the first at-bat of...
Read More
Loading more articles...
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2026 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.