Arizona 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 Arizona 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 Arizona needs it later this season, can the onetime utility player pitch in back-to-back conference games?
That’s 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’ 56 games, and appeared in five more in relief.
“It’s hard for any pitcher to throw back-to-back games. None of us are invincible,” Palacios said. “But Bowen, if you asked her, ‘Can you pitch five days in a row?’ She would say yes. She’s that type of competitor. I know that she’ll do that, but it’s whether or not we want her to be fresh.
“Her pitches are best when they’re fresh, when they’re hitting or painting the lines, and I think that’s where we’re going to have to play around with our pitching staff is to make sure she’s her freshest.”
Hanah Bowen practices her pitches during a practice last week at Hillenbrand Stadium.
Palacios and the rest of the Wildcats rave about Bowen’s 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 Arizona not only get back to the Women’s College World Series but win while there?
Bowen doesn’t want to get ahead of herself.
“I don’t want to think too big or have too many thoughts going on,” Bowen said. “We have really good players on this team that have a lot to bring to the table and I think we’re going to be a fierce competitor.”
Even though softball has come a long way, it still revolves around the pitcher’s circle.
Pac-12 champion UCLA boasted two of the country’s best arms in Rachel Garcia and Megan Faraimo, and even though Women’s College World Series Champion Oklahoma did not have a traditional ace, the Sooners didn’t allow more than three runs in any of their WCWS wins.
Arizona pitcher Hanah Bowen pitches against Alabama during the Women’s 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’ll need consistently strong performances from a relatively inexperienced pitching staff.
Of course, Bowen won’t 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.
“She is what we want to be when we step on this field,” Palacios said. “Between the lines, we want to emulate the competitor that comes out in Bowen. That’s what drives her and differentiates her from every other pitcher. Her driving quality is her competitiveness.”
