CHS athlete selected for Baseball Factory Under Armour Pirates Christmas Classic

| September 18, 2012

Dyson Bowman plans on spending his Christmas break in Florida honing his baseball skills.

The Coshocton High School senior was selected to participate in the Baseball Factory Under Armour Pirates Christmas Classic in Bradenton, Fla.

“My high school baseball coach nominated me and I thought doing this would get more colleges to look at me,” said Dyson, who is the son of Steve and Amy Bowman.

According to www.baseballfactory.com, Baseball Factory was founded in 1994. Its goal is to train players and help them with the college recruiting process. Alumni of the program include Major League Baseball’s Prince Fielder, C.C. Sabathia, Roy Halladay and at least another 200 professional ball players.

Before being chosen for the event in Florida, Bowman had to attend a tryout in Dublin.

“They timed me on my 60 yard dash, I did drills for my main positions (pitching and outfield) and hitting,” Dyson said. “The competition was better than what I’ve seen around here.”

After the tryout the Bowmans had to call to find out if Dyson was selected to participate on an Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tournament Team, attend camp or play in the All-American Baseball Game.

“When I made it (into the camp) I was really excited,” Dyson said. “They also told me what I need to work on in the off season. I think this is going to make me a better player and person.”

The camp will be held at Pirate City, the spring training home of Major League Baseball’s Pittsburgh Pirates. At camp Dyson will receive one-on-one instruction, position specific training and tournament competition while eating, sleeping and playing in the same place that professional ball players do.

Dyson has played baseball his whole life.

“He’s had a bat and ball in his hands since he could walk,” Amy said.

Dyson hopes to continue his career in college and has already seen interest from Bluffton University and The University of Findlay.

“I love baseball,” he said. “It keeps me active and out of trouble.”

Steve, who coached his son when he was a little kid, is very proud of him.

“I love watching him play,” he said.

The family is asking for the community’s help in sending Dyson to Baseball Factory Under Armour Pirates Christmas Classic. Fees for the camp total $2,999 and he also has to pay for his airfare.

“We just did a car wash and wrote a letter we gave to family, friends and area businesses asking for donations,” Amy said. “We’ve also thought about doing a toll road or a spaghetti dinner.”

The family has an account set up at Ohio Heritage Bank.

“Dyson has a great natural ability,” Amy said. “It’s second nature to him. He has a great head for the game and really gets it.”

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Category: High School, Sports

About the Author ()

I started my journalism career in 2002 with a daily newspaper chain. After various stops with them, I am happy to be back home! I graduated from Coshocton High School in 1998 and received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication in 2002 from Walsh University. I also earned several awards while working for daily papers, including being honored by Coshocton County’s veterans for the stories I wrote about them. I am honored and ready to once again shine a positive light on Coshocton County. I also am the proud mother of a little girl named Sophia!

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