Bowden completes CWS ride with Vandy win; Caponigro proud of former player

When Joe Caponigro saw Ben Bowden warming up in the bullpen at Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb., Tuesday night his phone just exploded with texts.?You wouldn?t believe it,” said the Lynn English baseball coach. “My phone was just blowing up. Myself and some of the other coaches, we have a text thing going on during all these games, and we watch them all.?When I saw him warming up in the bullpen, I couldn?t help it. I had tears in my eyes.”And when Bowden, a freshman, was thrust into a game that had gotten out of hand in opponent Virginia?s favor (the Cavaliers won the game to tie the three-game final at 1-1), Caponigro was overwhelmed.?It was very emotional for me to see him at that stage,” he said. “There he was, in the College World Series. Last year, he was throwing bullpens at Keaney Park (behind English).”Vanderbilt defeated Virginia, 3-2, Wednesday night in Omaha to capture its first men’s championship in an sport.Caponigro coached Bowden at English, and under his tutelage the big lefty was the ace of the staff and the 2013 Gatorade Player of the Year for Massachusetts. Early in the 2012 season, Bowden, as a junior, threw a perfect game against Marblehead. Last year, he was the South squad?s MVP in the Agganis baseball game.Caponigro, along with most of the hometown fans watching, would have liked to have seen more of Bowden Tuesday. But he only threw one pitch … and got the third out of the inning.?It was very economical,” said Caponigro. “I was digging in, looking forward to seeing him come out for the eighth inning. But there were some other pitchers they wanted to get into the game.?Still,” said Caponigro, “it?s an amazing accomplishment, and we are very proud of him. While he was warming up, I sent him a text telling him how proud I was of him. I knew he?d see it after the game.?This morning,” Caponigro said, “I got a nice text back with him telling me they were going to be celebrating (hopefully a CWS win).”Caponigro said Bowden couldn?t have made a better choice.?This is just a fantastic opportunity for him,” he said. “He?s a competitor, and I?m sure he wants to be in there, but he realizes that he?s at probably the best baseball school in the country right now.?Everybody wants to go there. The coach (Tom Corbin) is a solid guy … a solid, mature guy. I talked to him a lot during the recruiting process, and he?s a really good match for Ben.?He?s doing well academically too,” he said.Caponigro said that Vanderbilt?s facilities and its coaching have enabled Bowden to learn a lot.?They analyze every bullpen session,” he said. “They have cameras, a large-screen TV, and whenever he throws, he can watch what his delivery looks like right away.?They critique it right there.”