Mia Bowers – The 14-year-old Under Armour 18u Athlete

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Tamara Beth Boris

Mia Bowers, eighth grade, swings a bat during a PA Synergy game this past summer. Bowers was selected to play for the Under Armour National Softball Team in Oklahoma City, Okla., to compete in the national event this past june. “The event in Oklahoma was both challenging and rewarding”, Bowers said.

Eighth grader Mia Bowers has been named an Under Armour Softball Factory Rookie All-American. Because of her excellence, she will play for Under Armour in January in Conroe, Texas.

   Bowers’s journey began this past spring when she competed in an Under Armour Softball Factory tryout at Spooky Nook Sports in Manheim, Pennsylvania. After her tryout, she received word that she had been selected for the Under Armour National Softball Team. To be selected for the Under Armour team, Bowers had to compete in various hitting and catching drills. This past July, she travelled to Oklahoma City, Okla., to compete in the national event.

   “The event in Oklahoma City was both challenging and rewarding. I got to play for Division I coaches and learned what it’s like to play Division I softball. I left there with a greater understanding of how demanding it is to play softball at that level,” Bowers said. “I grew from it by further advancing my skills while making friends from across the country. We even had a girl from Abu Dhabi playing with us, so it was an awesome experience.”

    Bowers will now play in Conroe, Texas, during the All-America Pre-Season Rookie Tournament January 12-14, 2018. Not only will Division I softball coaches be there, but so will Olympic gold medalist Jennie Finch, who won gold in softball during the 2004 Summer Olympics.

    Bowers is a member of the Pottsville Girls’ Softball League and is also a part of PA Synergy, which is a 16-and-under softball travel team.

   “I’m very proud of Mia’s exceptional abilities and extremely proud that she’s playing at a level of top 18U college recruits across the country and she’s doing that as a 13-year-old,” Mr. Jeff Bowers, Mia’s dad, said. “She works very hard and puts in the extra work that’s needed to develop the natural talent she has.”