In June 2022, Thornton Academy faced Bangor High School for the Maine Class A state baseball championship. Thornton Academy was leading 1-0 going into the fourth inning. After Bangor got runners on second and third with no outs, Thornton Academy brought in the team’s ace pitcher, Cody Bowker. He proceeded to retire the side, giving up no runs that inning or for the rest of the game.

“We knew we had a chance to win States that year,” recalls Cody, who lives in Bowdoinham, “and we put in a lot of hard work to do it.” Indeed, they did. The entire team would work out at the batting facility at 7 a.m. every morning before school started at 8:30 a.m. Mission accomplished.

“Cody led by example,” said Thornton Academy coach Jason Lariviere after the victory. “He was the one holding them accountable.”

Cody hit .490 for the season, in addition to excelling on the mound, and was named Maine’s Gatorade Player of the Year.

Despite Cody’s fine season, he got few offers from Division I schools to play baseball. He chose to play at Georgetown University, a mid-level D-1 school, even though he’d never met the coach in person before signing up. He pitched well at Georgetown, earning All-Big East Second Team Honors at the end of his second year.

Ever seeking to hone his skills, Cody has played baseball in various summer leagues over the past few years, culminating in joining the Cape Cod League, the nation’s premier league for top amateur baseball players.

After his successful second season at Georgetown, Cody decided to enter the open college portal, indicating his willingness to consider offers from other colleges. “The phone blew up,” recalls Cody with a smile, “I got calls from coaches from all over the country.”

Cody opted to transfer to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, because of its fine academic reputation combined with its elite baseball program. Coached by the legendary Tim Corbin, Vanderbilt has developed scores of players who’ve gone on to the major leagues. Indeed, six players were drafted by major league teams this past spring.

“Coach Corbin is amazing,” says Cody. “He meets with the team in a classroom before practice to help build unity. He talks about everything but baseball. One time he even showed us how to brush our teeth! He wants to create a team of good humans.”

In addition to learning life lessons from Coach Corbin, Cody is fortunate to be guided by Scott Brown, Vanderbilt’s ace pitching coach. An article written at the time Cody signed with the team notes, “Bowker’s fastball is on a 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. He will look to make a name for himself in the SEC.”

Cody looks forward to playing for the Vanderbilt Commodores this spring. The team’s 60-game schedule should give him plenty of chances to show his stuff. He will be eligible for the major league draft after this season, his junior year.

I’m betting that Cody will be drafted early by a major league team. He has all the tools, both physically and mentally. He has great focus in the classroom as well as on the pitcher’s mound. Indeed, he complied a 4.0 grade point average in high school and a 3.4 GPA to date in challenging college courses.

When I asked Cody how he felt being brought into that championship game against Bangor in a very tough situation, he said. “I knew I could do it. I knew I could get those guys out.” You can’t teach confidence like that, but you have to possess it to succeed at the highest levels of sport or in any other field for that matter.

We’re cheering you on, Cody, and when (not if) you’re in the majors, we proud Mainers will say to ourselves, “We knew it all along.”

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future Just a Little Old” columns.