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A high school baseball prospect is gaining attention for his play, as well as sharing his name with an iconic television character.
Left-handed high school pitcher Jack Bauer of Lincoln-Way High School in Illinois is reported to throw a fastball between 97 and 101 MPH, having once topped out at 102 MPH, as well as a slider at 81 to 84 MPH moving at 2,900 revolutions per minute and a changeup at 85 to 88, according to Prep Baseball Georgia assistant scouting director Ian Smith. Bauer, of course, shares his name with Kiefer Sutherland's iconic character on the popular FOX drama 24, which was at its height in popularity prior to the pitcher's birth in the mid-2000s.
Bauer, who fittingly wears No. 24, is committed to the University of Virginia and is coming off a start in which he allowed just one hit and recorded five strikeouts and five walks over 2 1/3 innings during an interstate matchup loss to Coffee High School (Georgia). The pitcher recently participated in an interview with LakePoint Sports and talked about clocking at triple digits for the first time.
“Yeah I threw two innings, I didn’t give up a baserunner, six straight K’s,” Bauer said. “I go back to the bullpen and we have guys that do a pitching chart. And they do a gun, and they’re like, ‘Scouts back there had you at 100. … I thought they were messing with me a little bit.”