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Hernando Today

Attaining the Next Level

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By MARTY MILLER

Hernando Today correspondent

Published: June 1, 2008

For Hernando High softball pitcher Ari Lowman, her prep career maybe likened to a large roller coaster.

After having a terrific season as a junior and helping the Hernando Dixie Youth League Debs to the national title game during the summer of 2007, Lowman was ready to have a huge senior year.

That was before she injured the meniscus muscle on her knee halfway through the season, which basically put an end to her pitching for the Leopards.

But finally after a lot of work and worry, Lowman can say she has nearly gone full circle.

She's almost 100 percent healthy and the best sign of that happened this week when the southpaw pitcher signed an athletic scholarship to play for Pasco-Hernando Community College in New Port Richey next season.

"I'm probably not the same pitcher I was, but I've learned a lot more about myself and I'm confident I'll be 100% by next year," said Lowman, a three-time Hernando Today All-County softball performer.

"I am worried about it just a little bit," she said. "It's something I love doing and I'm glad I'm going to be able to keep playing."

Anxious Moments

Her father, Sim Lowman, who also was at the signing, said her daughter was very nervous before the tryout.

"It was tough for her, she was terrified," he said about her daughter's feelings that day. "We kept telling her it would get better, it would be alright.

"(Hernando) Coach (Kevin) Bittinger put her through an hour workout before she had the tryout with PHCC and it went fine and I think that calmed her nerves."

In the three years leading up to her senior season, Lowman had begun to put together some outstanding numbers.

The left-handed pitcher won six games and lost eight her freshman year before improving to a 7-5 record with a 1.96 ERA and four complete games her sophomore season.

In her junior year, Lowman was 13-5 with a 1.34 ERA.

In 15 games, Lowman had 10 compete games, walked 19, struck out 57 and had three shutouts.

Then in the summer of 2007, Lowman helped pitch the Dixie League Softball Debs (ages 17-19) of Hernando to the state title and into the championship game of the Deb World Series before losing in the title game to South Carolina.

Tom Ryan, the softball coach at PHCC, said that after watching Lowman throw recently, he decided that signing her would prove to be a good way of providing some pitching depth to his squad.

"I came over here two weeks ago to give her a workout and she threw the ball very well for us," he recalled. "She threw the ball pretty well and with a lot of work, she will come back."

Bittinger said that going into the year, Lowman was his No. 1 pitcher.

"There are nine players on the field, but not having her hurt us a great deal this season," indicated Bittinger.

Lowman finished her senior year with a 6-8 record and a 3.62 ERA in 16 games and finished her career with a 32-26 won-lost slate while pitching 348 innings, striking out 253 with 26 complete games.

"A lot of pitchers can throw hard," Bittinger said after the signing. "She can throw six different pitches and throw them for strikes. I'm pretty sure that if Ari wanted to try out for any community college in Florida, she could make the team."

Now that she has signed to play at PHCC, Lowman admitted that for awhile, she was uncertain if she even wanted to play college softball.

"Yeah, for awhile there I was thinking about not doing it," said the Leopard senior. "I was scared about it because I didn't have the confidence I used to have. Then we went to a doctor in Tampa and he convinced me the knee would be fine."

In The Future

Lowman said she hasn't heard from any four-year colleges, but she thinks that going to the University of South Florida may be in her future.

"I want to major in criminology and have something to do with children, but I'm not exactly sure what it will be," she said.

Her mother Tracie said her daughter was very happy getting an athletic scholarship to play softball.

"It took a long time for her to make up her mind," said Mrs. Lowman on Ari's decision to play softball in college.

"I think it was a combination of everything. I think she was worried if she could ever get back up to where she use to be. But now I can see the spark back in her eye."

Her high school coach is also convinced that Lowman will come all the way back from the knee injury. "Her last game this year against Zephyrhills in districts (a 3-2 loss to the Bulldogs), they had averaged seven or eight runs a game this year and she had them off-balance all night," described Bittinger.

The third-year HHS skipper believes Lowman is the kind of person any college team who want to have on the team.

"She's the kind of kid I would want on my team every year," said Bittinger. "She's a leader and a hard worker. She's a good kid and deserves this."

Lowman becomes the third Hernando County player signed by PHCC. Earlier in the year, Nature Coast Technical shortstop Kaitlyn Wadsworth and Hernando Christian Academy catcher Mary Ellen Langley also signed with the West Pasco County school.

By the Numbers: Ari Lowman
- Compiled by TONY CASTRO

YEAR GP GS CG IP H R ER BB KO SHO W L ERA
2005 16 16 12 87.0 93 60 45 37 64 0 6 8 3.62
2006 15 13 10 75.0 67 40 21 33 51 4 7 5 1.96
2007 20 11 08 99.0 74 38 19 57 74 3 13 5 1.34
2008 16 16 12 87.0 93 60 45 37 64 0 6 8 3.62
TOTALS 67 56 42 348.0 327 198 130 164 253 7 32 26 2.61

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