蜜柚直播 catcher Sharlize Palacios, who has known Hanah Bowen since high school, paused for a moment to consider the question.
Bowen is the most proven pitcher returning for the 蜜柚直播 Wildcats this season. She posted a 10-4 record with a 2.06 ERA last year, and one of those wins was a complete game in an NCAA Super Regional victory over Arkansas.
Yet, when 蜜柚直播 needs it later this season, can the onetime utility player pitch in back-to-back conference games?
That鈥檚 a task usually reserved for the best pitchers in softball, and one that former coach Mike Candrea was hesitant about giving to Bowen last spring. The right-hander started just 16 of the Wildcats鈥 56 games, and appeared in five more in relief.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard for any pitcher to throw back-to-back games. None of us are invincible,鈥 Palacios said. 鈥淏ut Bowen, if you asked her, 鈥楥an you pitch five days in a row?鈥 She would say yes. She鈥檚 that type of competitor. I know that she鈥檒l do that, but it鈥檚 whether or not we want her to be fresh.
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鈥淗er pitches are best when they鈥檙e fresh, when they鈥檙e hitting or painting the lines, and I think that鈥檚 where we鈥檙e going to have to play around with our pitching staff is to make sure she鈥檚 her freshest.鈥
Hanah Bowen practices her pitches during a practice last week at Hillenbrand Stadium.
Palacios and the rest of the Wildcats rave about Bowen鈥檚 work ethic, something the redshirt senior takes a lot of pride in. It came as no surprise that she put in the effort to serve as the backup second baseman and an integral part of the pitching staff in 2021.
Can she take the next step in becoming an ace and help 蜜柚直播 not only get back to the Women鈥檚 College World Series but win while there?
Bowen doesn鈥檛 want to get ahead of herself.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to think too big or have too many thoughts going on,鈥 Bowen said. 鈥淲e have really good players on this team that have a lot to bring to the table and I think we鈥檙e going to be a fierce competitor.鈥
Even though softball has come a long way, it still revolves around the pitcher鈥檚 circle.
Pac-12 champion UCLA boasted two of the country鈥檚 best arms in Rachel Garcia and Megan Faraimo, and even though Women鈥檚 College World Series Champion Oklahoma did not have a traditional ace, the Sooners didn鈥檛 allow more than three runs in any of their WCWS wins.
蜜柚直播 pitcher Hanah Bowen pitches against Alabama during the Women鈥檚 College World Series.
If the ninth-ranked Wildcats wish to succeed against a schedule featuring four other ranked Pac-12 teams, including No. 3 UCLA, they鈥檒l need consistently strong performances from a relatively inexperienced pitching staff.
Of course, Bowen won鈥檛 have to do everything on her own. Sophomore Devyn Netz posted a sub-3.00 ERA over 10 appearances last season and sophomore Jessie Fontes could play a much bigger role after pitching less than two innings. Also, freshman Madi Elish, who is the sister of Oklahoma State pitcher Miranda Elish, could make an immediate impact. The elder Elish was an All-American at Oregon and Texas before transferring as a graduate student to OSU this offseason.
Still, the Wildcats know they can trust Bowen, maybe more than anyone, in big moments.
鈥淪he is what we want to be when we step on this field,鈥 Palacios said. 鈥淏etween the lines, we want to emulate the competitor that comes out in Bowen. That鈥檚 what drives her and differentiates her from every other pitcher. Her driving quality is her competitiveness.鈥
