Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin landed his first recruit from the transfer portal on Friday evening when right-handed pitcher Cody Bowker announced his commitment via social media. Bowker hails from Bowdoinham, Maine, where he played for Thornton Academy in high school and was named the 2022 Gatorade Maine State Player of the Year. Bowker will be reunited with current Commodore Jacob Humphrey, who he played travel ball with for the Maine Lighting together during their high school days. Humphrey expressed his excitement of having Boker with the team, commenting “reunited” on the fellow Mainer’s Instagram post. Bowker will join the Commodores with two years of eligibility remaining.
After being ranked in the bottom half of Perfect Game’s national player rankings in high school, Bowker committed to Georgetown University. The 6’1” righty slinger had an impressive two seasons for the Hoyas. Bowker started as a two-way player during his first year in the nation’s capital in 2023. In that season, he made 14 appearances on the mound with four starts. Across 42 innings of work, Bowker produced a 2.57 ERA while holding opponents to a .206 batting average. On offense, Bowker batted .250 across 88 at bats, including five doubles and two home runs. As a sophomore, Bowker’s focus shifted solely to the mound, as he boasted a 5-1 record while holding a 3.00 ERA, striking out 59 batters and allowing a marginal .230 average. He also received All-Big East Second Team honors.
Bowker has the frame of many elite pitchers that Vanderbilt pitching coach Scott Brown has turned into MLB prospects. He also possesses an elite pitch mix that Brown will undoubtedly seek to continuously refine. Bowker’s fastball is on par with the rest of the Commodore pitching staff, touching mid-90s velocity and generating plenty of whiffs. Bowker is a high-strike thrower with an elevated command on his slider and changeup to create a full bag of pitches he can go to. Bowker will look to make a name for himself in the SEC. If he can continue to perform at a high level, he will likely get some interest from the big leagues.
Bowker will likely look to fill a weekend starter role as it remains highly possible that 2024 starters Carter Holton and Bryce Cunningham will get drafted.
