CHAMPAIGN — Riley Gowens has the total number of days he spent between opportunities to pitch to live batters committed to memory.
Try 876.
Gowens wrapped up his high school career at Libertyville needing Tommy John surgery. That cost the 6-foot-3 right-hander his freshman year at Illinois, as he was rehabbing throughout the 2019 season.
The potential to return mid-year in 2020 was shut down when that season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“My whole career here, I really haven’t focused on being a better pitcher,” Gowens said. “I’ve just been trying to get on the field. Now that I’m on the field, I’m able to make adjustments and learning each outing.”
Gowens’ latest outing doubled as the best of his still new Illinois career with seven hitless, scoreless innings accounting for the bulk of the Illini’s combined no-hitter during Sunday’s 1-0 victory at Purdue.
Gowens’ effort earned him national recognition Monday as one of 12 players named player of the week by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and then Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors Tuesday.
“It’s cool to get all the awards and the shoutouts on social media,” Gowens said. “Who doesn’t want that? But I do think the way I’m viewing all of this — and a lot of the guys are viewing all this — is let’s hope this is a turning point in the season.”
Sunday’s win completed a three-game sweep of Purdue and got Illinois within one game of .500 at 13-14 on the season.
The Illini will be back in action starting Saturday in Evanston with two games against Michigan and two against Northwestern.
Gowens will be back on the mound trying to build off what he accomplished Sunday in West Lafayette, Ind. That outing was the product of his six previous starts, with his own turning point earlier this month against Nebraska.
Gowens lasted just 3 2/3 innings and took a no decision, but he finally felt like himself again on the mound.
“That was the first day that I was feeling all my pitches and was throwing strikes,” Gowens said. “I had a bunch of problems earlier in the year throwing strikes early in the game before I could settle in. I think I’m learning how to approach each week. I’m getting in a really good system Monday through Friday, so when I get to the weekend and throw, it’s like clockwork. The routine is the biggest part for me.”
Illinois catcher Ryan Hampe saw that difference Sunday at Purdue. It’s the reason the Illini starter managed to last a full seven innings.
“I know some of his starts he had a couple rough first innings, which is OK because he bounces back after, but really in this start, he really came out attacking right from the start,” Hampe said. “He didn’t give the opponent too many opportunities. He just kept attacking and attacking. His stuff was really good that day. He had feel for all three of his pitches — fastball, changeup and slider — so he just really could use anything he wanted to.”
Harnessing that “stuff” has been Gowens’ biggest challenge in his first season on the field for Illinois. Two years away, with part of that rehabbing Tommy John surgery, meant Gowens couldn’t work on his command or arm strength. Not to mention simply lacking the experience pitching in the Big Ten.
Pitching coach Mark Allen and athletic trainer Jim Halpin helped Gowens navigate trying to get healthy again and building back to the point he could get on the mound. Sunday’s seven scoreless, hitless innings were the result and gave a glimpse at a pitcher Illinois coach Dan Hartleb said reminds him, in some ways, of former Vanderbilt star and now Los Angeles Dodgers starter Walker Buehler.
“I don’t know if you can ever build toward a no-hitter — those things are rare — but I think he can be dominant,” Hartleb said of Gowens. “I’ve always thought he could be dominant. There’s times he’ll sit 94-96 (mph), and that’s pretty special. The slot that he throws from and the ride that he has on his fastball is just different.
“The way he can throw a fastball, it looks like it comes out of his hand waist to thigh high and ends up riding knee high all the way in. As he moves forward, he’s got a chance to be really special.”
Stacking quality starts is the next goal for Gowens. Starting this weekend in Evanston as he continues his comeback from an injury (and pandemic) that delayed his college baseball career.
“It’s the only injury I’ve really had,” Gowens said of the elbow issue that necessitated Tommy John surgery. “Being at the very bottom of the game, you learn a lot. The physical part is what it’s going to be. I knew I was going to work as hard as I could to get the most out of the surgery. Mentally, you really have to focus because it’s so up and down throughout that process. It still is. There’s still days I get arm pain and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, what is that?’ But I’ve got to understand that’s a normal part of the game.”
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