The conditions were raw Wednesday at West Aurora.
A steady drizzle, temperatures in the low 40s and a nagging wind made for a rough day to play a high school baseball game.
That wasn’t the forecast senior pitcher Noah Dowler gave to his Oswego East teammates, however.
“I told the guys before we came out here, it’s 70 degrees and sunny,” Dowler said. “We’re in Florida.”
Dowler may have been the only player on the field with a beach mentality, but he brought that attitude to the mound and mesmerized West Aurora over five innings before the game was halted due to the weather.
Dowler struck out nine, walked none and allowed only a fourth-inning single in a 3-0 Southwest Prairie Conference victory.
“He was able to locate off-speed, the fastball kept them off balance,” Oswego East coach Brian Schaeffer said. “He was able to get to contact, which is what makes him successful this year. He was efficient, quick. That’s what we’ve seen him do.”
Dowler routinely set things up with the fastball, only to unleash either his change-up, curveball or slider to put batters away. Eight of his first nine outs came by strikeout, the majority of which ended with an off-speed pitch.
“He was throwing some breaking balls and changing speeds,” West Aurora coach John Reeves said. “You could see that we were looking to pretty much pull everything and weren’t making an adjustment.
“He was just changing speeds enough that it was giving our hitters some trouble and not really adjusting enough or recognizing what happened to previous hitters.”
The diversity of Dowler’s arsenal is in contrast to the top of the rotation.
When healthy, Vanderbilt recruit Noah Schultz and Wichita State commit Ashton Izzi bring the heat with a powerful mix of pitches. Dowler offers the Wolves (5-6, 2-0) a change of pace.
“We knew he was going to be one of our starters, whether it was a Saturday starter or a fourth starter,” Schaeffer said. “He fits right into the rotation.
“We have the power pitchers and then we have Noah, who can locate and be precise.”
Dowler said playing in Wednesday’s game felt “like playing as a kid again.” That he was able to block out the harsh conditions and muddy mound was not a surprise to Schaeffer.
“The big thing with him is he’s a competitor,” Schaeffer said. “He’s got that drive. He’ll do it all the time. At the same time, with all the guys, it’s knowing everybody is in the same situation right now. You just have to battle and compete.”
Oswego East jumped early on West Aurora (6-7, 0-2).
Liam Mitchell singled, stole second and scored in both the first and second innings as the Wolves took a 3-0 lead.
Mitchell did the same thing again in the sixth, but when the game was called, the top of the sixth was wiped out and the final reverted to the score after five innings.
“That’s what we look for in him — put the ball in play and do things,” Schaeffer said. “That’s the approach we’ve tried to have with all the guys.
“At the beginning of the season, we weren’t putting the ball in play. Now we’re putting the ball in play and you’re seeing good things happen.”
Dowler knows he’s going to be part of the staff for what he hopes will be a long postseason run.
“I just want to help the team win,” Dowler said. “I think we’re a deep playoff team for sure. I just want to contribute and bring some energy and pitch well for us.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
