When Deacon Bowne walked into Hun baseball coach Tom Monfiletto’s office for his eighth-grade interview, it was as close to a formality as one could get.
“I remember the talk I gave to him and I said ‘One of the biggest pillars we go by is trust and how much can we trust a player to represent the program the right way, to represent themselves the best way and to honestly know the game and put the work in and execute and know what to do on the field,” Monfiletto said.
“I looked Deacon in the eyes and I said, ‘I’ve trusted you since you were 10 years old.’ He’s been coming to our camp since he was really young. He’s been one of the more mature kids I’ve ever coached, aside from being arguably the best catcher we’ve had.”
That’s high praise considering Bowne’s fellow Hamiltonians, Danny Melnick and Cole Palmeri, were both standout catchers at Hun who went on to play college ball.
“Those guys might argue that,” Monfiletto said with a smile. “But along with everything he’s done on the field with production, he has been as good a leader and as good of a representative of our program as we could ask for.”
Bowne was a driving force in the Raiders drive to their second Mercer County Tournament title in three years. Through Hun’s 19-5 start, the Hamilton Square product was hitting .333 with 13 walks, five doubles, four triples, 18 RBI and 16 runs scored. Entering the May 18 NJISAA Prep A semifinal against Lawrenceville, he had hit safely in 12 of the previous 14 games.
After collecting a hit and run scored in an MCT semifinal win over Robbinsville, Bowne discussed the fact this was Hun’s last chance at a county title since the tournament is switching to a Colonial Valley Conference tourney without preps next year.
“Obviously it sucks that the school’s not gonna be able to compete next year in this tournament,” Bowne said. “But a lot of our guys are seniors, so we’re just looking to go out and put our best foot forward and finish off our time here well.
“We hadn’t won a (MCT) championship leading up to the first one in 2022, now to have been in three straight finals has been great. Last year it didn’t work out as we wanted, but we’re ready to go out and compete and play hard. Hopefully things work out and we can come out on top.”
Things did work out two nights later and Bowne was right in the middle of it. With the championship game tied 2-2 against Lawrence, Hun got a bases-loaded walk to force in the go-ahead run and Bowne followed with a two-run double for valuable insurance in what would become a 10-2 win at Trenton Thunder Stadium.
Hun also got help from another township resident that night, as Tyler Tucker had a hit and two RBI. Tucker, who’s headed to Bates College to play next year, was a clutch hitter throughout the season with 18 RBI on 16 hits.
The MCT title was nothing new for Bowne. He began winning championships early when the 2016 Nottingham Little League 10-year-old All-Star team claimed the District 12 tournament. His teammates included Steinert varsity players Danny Graziano, Christian Finacchio, Gennaro Salzano, Aiden Chulamanis and Alex and Andrew Wolak.
Deacon felt his environment as a youth helped shape him into what he is today.
“It was great,” he said. “My dad is from Hamilton and played for Steinert. Playing baseball (in Hamilton) is almost expected in a sense. It’s great to be in an area where everyone competes. To play at Nottingham, I like to think the rec baseball there was better than everywhere else. That was a great place to get everyone better.”
Bowne went on to play travel for three years before arriving at Hun. He played JV as a freshman. The next year he earned a starting spot and never relinquished it. After a modest average of .244 as a sophomore he slumped to .213 last year before this season’s resurgence.
“He’s been phenomenal this year,” Monfiletto said. “He’s come up big in big spots. We haven’t thought about moving him from the three spot all year. He has been as locked in as I’ve ever seen him. Having someone that reliable in that place in the order has been invaluable.”
Offense is only part of the equation when it comes to Bowne, and probably not the most important part. It is his ability as a backstop that has much to do with him playing at Bucknell University next year. An arm issue had him at designated hitter most of his senior year but he feels he will be ready to catch soon.
It’s not a position for everyone, with all the dust and foul tips and heavy gear. But Bowne has done it all his life.
“I think catching is overlooked from the standpoint that everyone immediately thinks that it’s bad,” he said. “But I’d say that it keeps you involved. You’re in every play. When you do the good things everyone’s happy for you and that’s always nice.
“I think the big thing about it is you have to stay locked in on every pitch. There’s no taking pitches off, so that’s great. I think that’s what makes it such a good position overall.”
Bowne does not just work on his defensive skills during the season. It’s not easy to improve mechanics in the off-season but he manages to do so.
“I try to get as good as possible on my own,” Bowne said. “Guys aren’t throwing in the off-season as much. You do machine work with framing and blocking, and transfer work because you’re not gonna throw much in the winter. Once everything builds up for the spring you start to get a few pitchers back. That’s always great to build a relationship with them.”
And Bowne has developed those relationships. Much like a soccer goalie has to direct his offense, a catcher needs to direct his pitchers.
“It’s great,” Bowne said. “I feel like I have a really good relationship with all these guys. Knowing we have that trust in each other is beneficial to the team.”
Monfiletto calls Bowne “a breath of fresh air for our pitchers.”
“Whether they are young or old, experienced or inexperienced, I know they are in good hands with him behind the plate,” the coach said. “It’s like having another coach out there with a set of gear on. He knows the game so well, he knows how to handle pitchers, what to say to them, when to say it to them.
“He knows how to get on guys or nurture guys. He knows how to encourage them when they should be encouraged, he knows how to motivate when he needs to motivate. He always makes the right call.”
And when it comes to choosing colleges, Monfiletto feels he made another right call. Bowne’s grandfather went to Bucknell and Deacon thought it was the best fit academically and athletically.
His coach agreed.
“He’ll do great wherever he goes,” Monfiletto said. “But the combination of athletics and academics at a smaller school will suit him well. I think he’ll do very well.”
He has been thinking that since the 8th-grade interview.
Hun catcher Deacon Bowne. (Photo by Rich Fisher.),
