(Editor's note: The Day will be publishing a profile of a spring athlete for each day the high school athletic season is suspended.)

School: Wheeler High School

Class: Senior 

Sport: Baseball

Position: Pitcher 

College choice: Fairfield 

Chosen major: Between biology and business 

Athlete you grew up admiring: Brad Zunica and Jesse Lapore. Our family has been a host family for the Mystic Schooners for a few years now. These are two players from there that I remember very well. 

Checking in with Bowen: “I am very happy I stayed at Wheeler as it gave me the opportunity to play varsity sports for all four years. Most people told me to leave Wheeler because they thought a small school did not have as much opportunity as a bigger school like Ledyard or NFA. But in my case, there was more than enough opportunity at Wheeler. I just had to focus on making myself better as a student and an athlete which was easy with all the help from my teachers and coaches."

What you need to know about Bowen: A long recruiting process is over for Baker, a left-handed pitcher who’ll play Division I baseball at Fairfield. “I did enjoy the process even though it was very stressful with coaches contacting me from the beginning of junior year to the end of my senior year summer. The most stressful part of the recruiting process was the multiple showcases I attended with coaches analyzing every move I made, but the coaches were extremely nice and took most of the edge off.” He picked Fairfield because of its beautiful campus and a solid Division I baseball program as well as an opportunity to play as a freshman and sophomore. There was one more reason: “The coaching staff at Fairfield is going to allow me to enter the program as a two-way player (hitter and pitcher). This will allow me to see what I am strongest at.” The toughest batter that Baker's faced is Dave Christoforo, a member of a New Haven AAU team and UConn commit — “because I knew if I misplaced a pitch he could put it into the trees," he said. Baker's favorite sports besides baseball are soccer and basketball and his favorite high school class is digital media design. He is a first team All-ECC Division IV pick in baseball and soccer, where he was the Lions' goalie for their divisional championship team in the fall, and an honorable mention selection in basketball. Baker was 4-0 last season with a 1.16 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 36.1 innings, including an 18-strikeout performance against Windham, and hit .515 with five home runs.