Diamond Dawgs grab rising prospect out of Meridian CC in RHP Peyton Fowler

Peyton Fowler has been a work in progress, but his best baseball days are ahead of him.

The 6’3, 188-pound right-handed pitcher grew up in Madison playing for the Germantown Mavericks and he had dreams. There was plenty to like about his potential when he was in high school, but he was raw.

Meridian Community College would be his landing spot last year and Fowler pitched out of the bullpen with some rocky performances. In 19 appearances, he pitched 24.1 innings and gave up 23 hits, 22 runs, 30 walks and 29 strikeouts with an ERA of 7.03 and a 2.18 WHIP.

Year one wasn’t kind to Fowler, but he knew he had to get better and do it fast or he would have a quick exit to his baseball career.

“It just made me work twice as hard,” Fowler said of the JUCO route. “I didn’t even know I was going to pitch last year and when I did, it didn’t go great. I had to learn and come back this year as a better pitcher. A lot of my struggles was mental and I felt like every time I went out there I’d walk people.”

Fowler finding his groove as a sophomore

Over the last few months, something has clicked in Fowler’s game. The fastball velocity has seen an uptick and his mental approach has gotten better. With that has come more control over his stuff and his arsenal has grown as well.

In his first eight appearances, Fowler has thrown two complete games as a starter and has already logged 39.2 innings while dropping his ERA down to 4.08. His walk total has been cut in half and his strikeouts are almost doubled at 58 strikeouts and 15 walks.

Before Fowler even pitched this season, Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis and pitching coach Justin Parker had already had him on their radar. His solid start to the sophomore season affirmed the coach’s thoughts on him and they offered him a scholarship and invited him up for a visit.

“I first started talking to Parker in November and he really liked the way that I threw the ball,” Fowler said. “We build that relationship and when I got to campus, it was like family. Coach Lemonis is down to earth, and coach Parker is a pitching guru. It really felt good to me.”

The trip to Starkville for the Texas series did the job on making Fowler’s decision. He came up to Dudy Noble Field for the first time and knew that it was home.

Fowler had picked up strong interest from Alabama, South Carolina, Florida State and Southern Miss. After getting a chance to see DNF and the State coaches in person, however, Starkville was the move for him.

“Obviously it’s an awesome opportunity,” Fowler said of his commitment to the Diamond Dawgs. “Playing in the SEC has been a dream of mine since I was little. I actually grew up an Ole Miss fan but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything that compares to Mississippi State baseball. It blew me away. I had never been to Dudy Noble so seeing all of that was just incredible. They have the best facilities in the country and it’s just a family atmosphere.”

Fowler is the second of his relatively close family members to make it to the SEC in the last couple of years. His cousin, Bryce, plays for the Alabama Crimson Tide and is helping his team to a great season.

The two talk almost daily and Bryce assured Peyton that he had a future in the SEC. In the last year, Peyton has followed a similar path as Bryce as the two saw their stock rise in the JUCO ranks.

Peyton committed to starting pitching in the offseason and developed a pitching arsenal that allows him to compete. Fowler has a fastball sitting in the 93-95 range and topped out at 97 mph this week. He also throws a fastball with sink along with a slider, changeup and curveball. He believes that’s something that could translate to the next level in maroon and white.

“I was in a closer role last year so, being a starter, I had to go to work,” Fowler said. “MSU wants me to be a weekend guy and I think that’s definitely attainable with the way that coach Parker develops pitchers.”