Galesburg-area two sport athlete follows mom's footsteps, signs with WIU

With record-breaking numbers of viewers tuning in, and with the face of the sport for the past two seasons, Indiana Fever No. 1 draft pick Caitlin Clark, fresh off a successful appearance on “Saturday Night Live,” women’s basketball is having a moment.

It’s a moment that spilled over April 17 to the gymnasium at West Central High School, where around 100 people saw Heat standout Shelby Bowman sign a national letter of intent to continue her basketball career just down the road at Western Illinois University, her mother Karla’s alma mater.

“Being close to home was really important to me,” said Bowman, who was named first team All-State by both the Associated Press and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association after her 31.3 scoring average led all Illinois players for the second year in a row. “My mom went there, and growing up, I went to a lot of their games.”

Bowman had dreamed of playing for the Leathernecks for quite a while, but early in her senior year she thought she might have to choose another path. However, WIU’s interest grew as Bowman helped the Heat to regular season and Lincoln Trail Conference tournament titles.

“It happened pretty quickly,” said Bowman, a unanimous selection to the All-LTC team. “They hadn’t reached out in a while, but then Coach (JD) Gravina reached out to my travel coach,” Justin Vinyard, who coaches the Jacksonville-based Illinois Inferno. “Coach Gravina came to the A-Town game (when Bowman scored 38 points in a 59-53 Heat victory), and then he came to another one. Then I went down for a visit, and I committed right there.”

“Shelby is an elite scorer and all-around offensive player,” said Gravina in a WIU news release. “Leading the state in scoring is an impressive feat, especially given that she was facing double and triple teams most nights. She can shoot from deep or score in multiple ways around the basket.”

The comparison has been made before in this space, but that sounds an awful lot like Clark. So does the next praise given by Gravina.

“Shelby is also a very good passer, which will really show as she moves up to the college level,” he said. “There is nothing better than getting a good, local player who is also a great person and student.”

‘Never stop believing’

The latter sentiment was shared by speakers at Bowman’s signing ceremony, including her coach, Tyler Klossing, and West Central’s athletic director, Joel Zaiser, who said, “The things she’s done have been absolutely amazing. She set a standard really high here, and I can’t wait to see what she does at WIU.”

Her father, Dan, also spoke and commended his daughter for her work ethic, while also acknowledging all the support she received.

“You don’t do something like this by yourself,” he said.

He then got choked up while adding, “Never stop believing.”

After leading Illinois with her 28.5 scoring average as a junior, Bowman raised her game in all facets as a senior, including career highs of 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 4.0 steals a game. Her scoring average ranked 16th nationally, according to MaxPreps, and the Burlington Hawk Eye’s Player of the Year finished her three-year West Central career with a school-record 2,458 points, including the single-game mark of 55 against West Hancock this year, which included a record 10 three-pointers.

While Bowman was having another season for the ages at West Central, the Western Illinois women’s team averaged 74 points and seven made three-pointers per game while going 18-12. Their 9-9 record was good for seventh place in the 11-team Ohio Valley Conference.

Gravina used essentially the same starting five all season, which included a grad student, a senior, two sophomores and the team’s leading scorer at 19.4 points, freshman Raegan McCowan.

“They’re pretty free on offense,” said Bowman. “They like to shoot the three, which is a fit for me.”

Bowman said the attention women’s basketball is receiving “is pretty amazing to see. Caitlin Clark is really helping to grow the game, and we’re even seeing that here and in the area. All the support we’ve received has really been great, and hopefully (our game) will continue to grow.”

Asked whether her logo threes would still be part of her arsenal at WIU, Bowman replied, “Yes, I’ll try my best.”

Heat softball having a moment, too

Bowman is the valedictorian of her class, and there’s another person at West Central besides Klossing who says her smarts help her stand out as a player.

“Her IQ is very high,” said Heat softball coach Dylan Voyles of Bowman, who’s among the team’s leaders in several categories, including runs, RBIs and stolen bases. “She’s got very good hands as a defender. She gets out in front of the ball, has a quick release and takes good angles. She’s smart at the plate, too. She doesn’t swing at bad pitches, so she takes a lot of walks.”

After a doubleheader sweep of Princeville on the same day as her signing ceremony, the Heat improved to 12-0, outscoring opponents 137-6. They’ve since lost a pair of games to Knoxville but were 16-2 through April 28.

Bowman is one of three returning All-State players for the Heat, who reached the sectional championship last spring before losing 3-1 to eventual state champion St. Bede.

The others are the battery combo of junior pitcher Addie Seitz and sophomore catcher Lauren Winters.

In the circle, Seitz has a sparkling sub-1.00 ERA this year, and she’s an offensive leader, too, batting over .500 with an otherworldly OPS well over 1.500.

“She throws really hard, in the low- to mid-60s,” said Voyles. “She’s also worked hard on her change-up and her curve ball, and she’s added a different fastball this year with different movement.”

As for Winters, “teams don’t even try to steal on her anymore,” said Voyles, who also credited corner infielders Delaney Endress and Ashley Meyer for their defensive contributions.

A year ago, Seitz shouldered so much of the pitching load that it was almost “not fair” to her, said Voyles. This year, freshman Miley Stimpson is eating lots of innings and doing so in style.

“She’s done a heck of a job for us stepping in,” said Voyles of Stimpson, who plays right field when she’s not pitching.

Two other first-year players are making significant contributions – second baseman Addy Burrell and center fielder Becca Hinshaw, who ranks in the top three of most offensive categories, including an average right around .500.

Looking ahead, adding a Lincoln Trail crown to the one the basketball team won is definitely doable, but it won’t be easy, as the conference is loaded with strong teams, especially Ridgewood and Knoxville.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Galesburg-area two sport athlete follows mom's footsteps, signs with WIU