by Adam Pfeiffer ‘20

Senior Michael Bouma’s baseball resumé is one that many would envy. He was named Bethesda Magazine’s Rookie of the Year in 2016, he is a three-time All-Montgomery County Selection, a 2018 Washington Post All-Met selection, a 2018 and 2019 preseason All-State selection, and on April 17 of last year announced his verbal commitment to the University of Maryland College Park (UMD). One thing missing? A state title.

The younger sibling of Kelly Bouma (‘16), who won four state titles on Sherwood’s record-breaking softball team, Michael has placed a lot of importance on winning one ring. “I would feel like I reached my ultimate goal . . . [it] would mean the world to me,” said Bouma. Ever since his freshman year, disappointing finishes in the sectional finals have been the story. This season, however, Bouma vows will be different.

Being a team captain, the first baseman has taken the responsibility of leading this year’s team to the state championship. “I plan on pushing my teammates to be the best they possibly can. [I will be] getting on them if they aren’t doing something right, or if they are goofing off,” said Bouma.
Because of his accomplishments and prominence in the batter’s box, many teams will key in on Bouma. They will attempt to prevent him from taking over a game, something he is more than capable of, hitting three home runs last year in a 7-6 win over state semi-finalist B-CC. However, Bouma says that sophomore Jake Becker, junior Luke Cheng and senior Ben Vok are fellow stars that deserve more attention.

Growing up watching baseball and attending UMD games, Bouma has dreamt of playing college baseball since a young age. He has played baseball for most of his life, and has played travel baseball since age 10. Upon reaching high school, Bouma realized he needed to change up his routines to optimize his play and achieve his goal of playing at Maryland. “I started lifting, changing my diet, hitting and throwing a couple times a week, and most importantly taking care of my body,” said Bouma.

Around the same time when he was heading into his freshman year, Bouma began playing for a showcase team. On these teams, players play simply to broadcast their abilities to college coaches in attendance and receive an invitation to camps and colleges. Bouma attended a UMD camp, and while he didn’t perform his best, he continued to play at these camps, eventually grabbing the attention of Maryland’s coaches.

Bouma is positioned to have his best season yet, and a state championship is very possible. If Sherwood can defeat defending state champions Howard, along with powerhouse Urbana, the state title is believed to be all but clinched for the Warriors. With Bouma leading the way, and many young stars poised to have a breakout year, this season should be one for the ages.

“Last season, best season,” said Bouma.