Name: Andy Lowe
Position: RHP
Year: Junior
School: Heidelberg
Yes, this is the third Heidelberg pitcher in our Top 10. Yes, this is the second closer in a row on the countdown. But most importantly, yes, Andy Lowe is that good. Between Steve Matre yesterday and Andy Lowe today we are taking a closer look at the guys who are so dominant they effectively shorten every game they enter. If Head Coach Matt Palm has any hopes of claiming that coveted Mideast Regional title in 2010 it will be in no small part thanks to his junior closer.
Setting a new standard is something special these days at Heidelberg. The Student Princes have established themselves as a regional and national player under the guidance of Matt Palm. So when junior closer Andy Lowe toes the rubber in 2010 with a chance to become the program’s first pitcher to earn All-America honors in multiple seasons it tells us just how far they’ve come. If his first two seasons are any indication I think it’s safe to say that Lowe will not disappoint.
Splitting duties at the back end of the bullpen with All-OAC pitcher Steve Calevro did little to derail Lowe’s freshman season. Lowe managed to tie the Heidelberg record for saves with nine. More impressively, he did so while Calevro amassed a very respectable six saves himself in 2008.
The Fort Wayne native earned All-OAC and All-Region honors after going 5-1 with a 2.06 ERA to go along with those record tying nine saves in his first season in Tiffin. He also showed early signs of what now is widely known: base hits are very, very difficult to come by with Lowe on the mound.
After a year of being battle tested in the always tough OAC, Lowe emerged as an All-American level player in 2009. He quietly lowered his ERA to a stellar 1.34, improved his strikeout to walk ratio (5.1 to 1) and lowered his opponents’ batting average to a fantastic .191. Lowe also once again tied the program record with nine saves. His 18 career saves already place him atop the career list at Heidelberg.
In recognition of his elite level of play, Lowe was showered with post-season awards last spring. The Carroll High School product was tabbed 1st team All-OAC and took home the Kent Tekulve Award as the OAC’s top pitcher. Lowe was also named 1st team All-Region, 2nd team D3baseball.com All-American and 3rd team ABCA All-American.
Lowe’s success has not been limited to the DIII realm. As a member of the Grand Lake Mariners he was named 2nd team All-GLSCL. The Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League is comprised of numerous DI players, as well as premier talent from DII, NAIA and DIII. Lowe did not allow an earned run in his 12 appearances. GLSCL batters faired even worse against the lanky righty than their OAC counterparts hitting only .065 against him.
It’s one thing to rack up an 8-2 career record with a 1.70 career ERA. It’s another thing to set the career saves record your sophomore year. And it’s an entirely different thing to do those things when you’re getting the ball against the best the Mideast region has to offer in big game after big game. There’s no question that Lowe’s experience and track record of success will aid him as he tries to lead the Student Princes to the next level.
Filed under: Division III
Andy has been the go-to-guy these past two years and has delivered for “THE BERG” but look out this year as there is another Lowe on the horizon, Andy’s little brother Teddy. Look out D3, the Lowes are coming.