-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A year ago, Bowen became the first Sumiton Christian graduate to be drafted in any professional sport, taken by the Cincinnati Reds in the 38th round as a pitcher out of Mississippi State. Earlier this month, Bowen was drafted again by the Reds - four rounds later than he was in 2008.</p>
The Reds nearly had him last year, throwing an un-38th round like offer of $220,000 as a signing bonus to the redshirt sophomore with a 94 mph fastball and a MSU-leading 64 strikeouts in 73 1/3 innings. That summer, he threw for Bourne in the Cape Cod league and had a respectable 3-3 record with a 3.53 ERA, 46 hits, 46 strikeouts and 14 walks.</p>
But after discussing things with his adviser, he opted not to take the Reds' offer and return to MSU for his junior year. After all, they said, he had two more years left and "I'd be crazy to think I wouldn't be looking at more money," said Bowen.</p>
He wound up looking for what made him a great pitcher.</p>
"He was a Louisville Slugger All-American his freshman year," said his high school coach Lance Blair. "He didn't get drafted out of high school because he told anyone who asked that he wanted to go to Mississippi State. He could have been, but he wasn't interested."</p>
That was the Mississippi State under Ron Polk, who resigned at the end of the 2008 season. In came Mississippi State under John Cohen and pitching coach Butch Thompson.</p>
"My mechanics were changed and the best thing I can say is that things weren't right with my delivery," said Bowen. "I started trying to find things to make it right, hunting something to correct and not throwing at all like before. We tweaked to find an answer and lost my identity."</p>
Bowen finished with an 8.44 ERA and 2-3 record in just 11 appearances and 32 walks with 25 hits and 25 strikeouts. But by the end of the season, he started to get his groove back.</p>
"I looked at video of what I did before and started to figure out how I felt," said Bowen. "I started to talk to people like (former New York Yankees pitching coach) Sam Ellis, Ed Marco (his pitching coach in 2008 with Bourne) and (former Jacksonville State pitching coach) Shane Kelley."</p>
Ironically, he didn't get the groove back until he started throwing the day after he was hit with the foul ball.</p>
"After that, stuff started to click," said Bowen. "The stride felt good, the ball came out of the hand good. Everything came out right."</p>
But the stay proved to be short. Bowen was one of the last players on the Braves - having to convince management to add him as a temporary player - and one of the first to go when players showed up from Team USA tryouts or those whose college teams had extended postseasons. This week, he's still in Massachusetts, hoping to catch on with another Cape Cod team; if not, the New England Collegiate Baseball League is another possibility. He hopes the progress he's made in recent weeks continues and his next step with be in the Reds' farm system. If not, he has one more year at Mississippi State.</p>
"I have no regrets about not taking their offer," said Bowen. "I look at it as the Lord had a lesson for me to learn and there was a purpose for this. I might have ended up better financially, but that's not what it's about anyway."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>