Pair of all-time great baseball Jackets talk life at the next level

Williamsburg High School has seen many great athletes wear the orange and black throughout its history, but few have had the kind of impact on the baseball diamond as Jake Harrison and Cameron Bowen.

Harrison, a 2018 graduate of WHS, helped lead the baseball Jackets to a 13th Region All “A” championship title his senior season. As one of the top catchers and sluggers in the area, he played an integral role in the team’s 19-win campaign that year, including a streak of 11 victories that was capped off with back-to-back W’s over 50th District opponent South Laurel.

Bowen also contributed in a major way to the Yellow Jackets’ success in 2018 as a junior, consistently making big plays with both the glove and the bat. He returned as a senior during the spring of 2019, and thanks in large part to his overall athleticism Williamsburg managed to repeat as All “A” regional champs. They even took things a step farther, securing a huge win over the Hazard Bulldogs in the sectional round of competition to qualify for that year’s All “A” state championship tournament in Owensboro.

It should come as no surprise, then, that both of these gifted ball players would end up making waves in the college ranks, which they both have done in recent years.

Harrison initially signed with Roane State Community College in Harriman, Tenn., but he eventually found his way back to the local area, and back in black and orange, as a member of the Union College Bulldogs. He managed to contribute in all three of his seasons at Union, but his career highlights definitely came this past spring, including a game-winning walk-off single in early March that gave the Bulldogs a 7-6 win over Kentucky Christian in their season home opener.

Harrison homered once during the 2022 season in a losing effort against Bluefield College on February 19, and he managed to end things on a high note as one of 14 Bulldogs named to the Appalachian Athletic Conference’s All-Academic Team.

“Competing at the college level, you just realize how talented all of the athletes are,” Harrison said. “There is a reason why those players are out there. It takes a lot of dedication, perseverance, and work ethic. That is what makes playing college sports so fun, though.”

“It is challenging because players are faster, they’re stronger, they throw harder and they have more range than they do in high school. You just have to put yourself up against that, and trust that you have worked harder, and are more prepared for the moment than they are.”

Of course, as most any college-level athlete will tell you, Harrison found that some days he was able to come out on top, and on other days he wasn’t. In the end, however, he is happy that he got the opportunity to live out his dream of being a collegiate baseball player.

“My main goals were to be a good teammate, help my team win in any way that I possibly could, and just enjoy the time spent playing a great game that I fell in love with as a child,” he explained.

Bowen chose to continue his career as a student-athlete at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tenn. starting in the whirlwind year that was 2020. After spending a couple of years learning the ropes at LMU he managed to breakout in 2022, recording an impressive 33 RBIs and helping the Rail Splitters to a 27-18 overall record.

Bowen, whose younger brother Sydney is about to be a senior athlete at Williamsburg in 2022-23, said that life at LMU has been challenging so far, but also very rewarding.

“It has for sure been a step up from high school,” Bowen explained. “Everyone that we’re competing against was more than likely the best player on their high school team. Playing at this level takes courage and resilience. It’s not easy. If it were, then everyone would do it.”

When asked about what the next couple of years could hold, Bowen said, “For the remainder of my collegiate career I want to continue to get better every day. My hope is to become a Division II College Baseball All-American.”

Both Harrison and Bowen encouraged current high school players to not give up on their dreams, and if those dreams include playing baseball in college, then be prepared to work for it.

“Be around people with the same aspirations as you,” Harrison advised. “They will push you, and you should also push them, to be better.”

Harrison also mentioned the importance of having good character both on and off the field, saying, “Coaches are always watching, and that is something that they will really focus on while recruiting.”

“Be willing to put in the extra work,” Bowen added. “You have to be dedicated on the field, and also in the classroom. That is going to be the difference between getting the right offer, or getting no offer at all.”

To find out more about the Lincoln Memorial Rail Splitters, visit them online at www.lmurailsplitters.com.

For more on the Union College Bulldogs, visit www.gounionbulldogs.com.