by Justin Goodhart 

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - Sitting at his desk in a relaxed position, with pictures of his family surrounding his computer, Penn State Harrisburg baseball head coach Ryan Bown has come a long way since his coaching career began at Boyertown Area High School in the fall of 2004. The soft spoken but stern skipper, currently in his 11th season at Penn State Harrisburg, has his team experiencing a stretch of success unmatched in the program's history and a third straight conference title serving as an achievable goal this spring.

This 2023 campaign marked a changing of the guard for the Lions. All programs see great players graduate and Bown knows the importance of recruiting talented players to maintain the winning edge he's cultivated during the past decade. 

"We're fortunate to have a lot of good freshmen here," said Bown in regards to the freshman class. "They know they are part of a culture in which winning is the expectation." 

They know it and the United East knows it. Winning a championship takes a total team effort and Penn State Harrisburg has achieved the feat two times in a row before marching into the NCAA Tournament with a collection of veteran leadership and talented youth. Since taking the reins at Penn State Harrisburg in 2013, Bown has compiled more than 225 wins with a 50-8 conference record since the program returned to the United East in 2021. 

The Lions entered this season having retained a number of championship-caliber players, as well as a strong freshman class. Players like Matt Parks, Maddux Ryan, Kevin Lehner, and Dallas Hite lead a lineup so potent, it has averaged more 10 runs per game so far this season. Younger players like Drew Sassaman, Josh Lantz, Brendan Henn, and Drew Bechtold have provided valuable depth to boost this powerful Penn State Harrisburg group. 

"This is the deepest team I have ever coached from a positional standpoint," said Bown, echoing that the squad's strong start (11-5 overall, 3-0 in United East play) is seemingly unsurprising.

Two of the biggest losses from last year's championship team were starters Drew Harshbarger and Zach Gettys, the latter of whom racked up more strikeouts than anyone program history. In that regard, it's fair to size up the staff and wonder what a younger pitching core will look like. 

"Not quite as veteran there but they're going to get thrown into the fire," said Bown about his hurlers. "Come March, you're not a freshman anymore," he continued, referencing a quote from Michigan State men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo. "You have the offseason and by spring break, you can't be a freshman anymore. You need to be able to step up. We preach a lot that to win at the end of the year, you need to pitch and play defense. I want our identity to be able to pitch and play defense to win the tight games. That's how you're going to do it. We can hit but we will find out if we can win the pitcher's duels, the tight games, and when teams are better on that end. That's where we will show what our identity is."

Bown's early coaching days helped him prepare for runs like the one he and the Lions have been on. He spent three seasons at Boyertown, where he talked about the system they had in place to help set the standard of a baseball program that saw so much success. 

"Learning what your philosophy is and your system was engrained there," he said regarding his first coaching stint. 

In 2008, Bown joined Shippensburg University as an assistant under Matt Jones. At Ship, he learned a lot about the off the field aspects of coaching that would help him greatly as he continued his career. 

"I learned how to be a college coach," he said. "The on-field stuff is one thing but learning about recruiting, scheduling, weight room, offseason, all of the off-field things that go into coaching is where I am appreciative of Shippensburg." 

That group saw plenty of success. In 2008, the Red Raiders reached the NCAA Division II College World Series. Bown's first year at Ship was an early indicator that where he went, success tended to follow. He eventually landed his first head coaching opportunity at Hershey High School and led the Trojans to a Mid-Penn Conference Title; amassing an impressive 22-2 record in 2012. 

As Bown reflects on his time with Penn State Harrisburg, he acknowledges the early struggles that any new coach faces when attempting to build a program. 

"Had to take some lumps with getting the right guys in here and going through the CAC, which is a beast of a conference," he said. 

Bown's 47-62 conference record while in the CAC can be misleading to those unfamiliar with the competition. In Penn State Harrisburg's first two years in the league, they won just five of their 29 conference games. From 2016 to 2019, however, the Lions sported a 42-33 conference record which included an impressive at-large bid to the NCAA tournament in 2019. In a conference that included traditional powers like Salisbury and Christopher Newport, Bown's Lions climbed the ranks and stood out among the pack. He made sure to show his appreciation for the players that came along before the victories came in droves. 

"I will forever appreciate those guys who came here when we weren't good because it's hard to believe in something that's not winning. Those freshmen that came here from 2014 through 2018, those guys were the ones that got it rolling when there wasn't much to believe in," said Bown while reiterating his admiration for the players who turned the program around, including game changers like Bret Williams, Chase Smith, Travis Van Houten, Ryan McSorley, Zak Koroneos, Tyler Jackson, and Tyler Aug.

Now part of a much-stronger United East than it was a decade ago when the Lions were originally a member, Penn State Harrisburg clashes with different rivals. Penn State Abington was the highest scoring offense in Division III in 2022 and has finished as the United East Championship runner-up two years in a row. Penn College took two of three from the Penn State Harrisburg a year ago before the Lions defeated the Wildcats in the United East Championship Tournament. Bown and his players understand the level of competition in the conference is as strong as it's ever been and that it requires a complete effort to get where they want to go. His road to and time at Penn State Harrisburg has had its peaks and valleys and some of the nation's top players have come through the program in recent years. The journey continues but Bown has built Penn State Harrisburg into a destination for hungry young student-athletes wishing to grow as young men and compete at a championship level.

Bown's Lions return to action at United East foe Penn State Berks on Friday afternoon.