College Spotlight: Oregon Catcher Terra McGowan… Wow, What an Arm As She Guns Down a Runner from the Backstop!
By
@BruntjensElla
April 25, 2021
Oregon catcher Terra McGowan (bottom) throws out a would-be base stealer last Friday in the win over Stanford.
I’m a big fan of Jen Schroeder and her compadres at The Packaged Dealso when I saw Jen had put up a Tweet that just said one word,“Cannon,” and pictured those instantly identifiable Oregon Duck jerseys, I knew who it had to be:
Terra McGowan.
Check out this amazing play and throw from the junior catcher:
That’s normally a smart play by the baserunner, who in this case is Stanford grad student Teaghan Cowles (who you KNOW is smart!). She had previously been 16-for-16 on the season in steals.
But how do you expect a catcher to made the catch, turn and throw that far and be right on the money?
“Cannon” indeed!
But if you’ve followed Terra as long as we have at Extra Inning Softball, you’re not surprised because the So Cal native has been a backstop star for a long time due to her arm and her bat.
This year, she’s batting over .300 for Oregon with a .990 fielding percentage and has only three errors in 291 chances.
Before her days in the Pac-12, Terra was a star at the club and high school levels as a member of the 2018 class and we had her ranked in the Top 25 of the ratings with this write-up (she originally signed with ASU and then transferred to Oregon):
Terra McGowan
21—Terra McGowan, C/OF, OC Batbusters – Stith (Arizona State)
Terra has come back from an arm issue last year to take her game to another level as one of the most dynamic players offensively and defensively in the country. Playing for one of the top high school programs in the nation, Mission Viejo (California) High which produced current Arizona standouts Taylor McQuillin and Alyssa Palomino (who won a National Championship with the Diablos in 2014), Terra also won a CIF Championship with the school in 2016 when she was named as an All-Orange County honoree. An excellent athlete who can play behind the plate and in the outfield because of her great arm strength and high softball IQ, Terra can hit for a high average as well as for power. This past high school season she hit .520 with seven home runs. With Mike Stith’s Batbuster 18U team, she’s faced the top club competition in the country and that experience against the best will allow her to assimilate early at ASU because of her versatility and experience.
Here are some of the stories we did Terra including being part of Lou Simons’ outstanding softball reality series, also included below…
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Another Big Transfer Hits the Pac-12 as Talented Freshman Catcher Terra McGowan Signs with Oregon
Originally published Jan. 8, 2019 on Extra Inning Softball
Terra McGowan has signed with Oregon and will be a true freshman after transferring from Arizona State. Photo: University of Oregon softball.
Just when it seems that the off-season transfer rush has calmed down, another major player has made a switch in the Pac-12.
The standout from Mission Viejo, California was ranked #21 in the 2018 Extra Elite 100 because “she has the skills to play catcher and outfield and hit for power and a high average.”
Oregon Head Coach Melyssa Lombardi announced on Monday that Terra McGowan, ranked as the No. 21 player in the 2018 Extra Elite 100, had signed with Oregon after spending the first half of her freshman year at Arizona State.
In a release issued on the Oregon site, Coach Lombardi said:
“Terra has a strong presence about her that will make her a great leader for this team. She can hit for power, runs well and will do a tremendous job of handling our pitching staff and controlling the running game. Duck fans are going to love watching Terra the next four years.”
McGowan is expected to offset the loss of another transfer, Mary Iakpopo, who announced in December she was transferring to Texas–one of four Duck players from last year who followed previous head coach Mike White to the University of Texas.
The newest member of the Oregon team was considered one of the top catchers in her class and helped the OC Batbusters-Stith 18U team make it to the PGF National Championship game this past summer after winning titles at the Team NJ Classic and the Boulder Independence Day Tournament.
McGowan had a huge week at PGF Nationals and was selected by Extra Inning Softball and SoCalSidelines.com as a member of the PGF Nationals All-Tournament team.
She helped the Batbusters win two “IF” games against the Corona Angels to get to the championship and in the deciding semi-final victory had a triple and home run off of Megan Faraimo, the outstanding UCLA freshman who was recently selected to the USA Softball Jr. National Team.
McGowan was so hot in that game that the Angels intentionally walked her and the next day in the championship game she had a two RBI single, although the Batbusters would lose to the Georgia Impact-Lewis team to finish second.
As a senior at Mission Viejo (California) High, she was equally impressive at the plate, hitting .540 with seven home runs.
A few weeks before PGF Nationals, Extra Inning Softball profiled the outstanding senior…. here’s our interview with her seven months ago…
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2018 Elite 100 Player Spotlight: Terra McGowan Ready for the Summer… With Friends!
Originally published June 23, 2018 on Extra Inning Softball
Terra McGowan catches behind the plate for Mission Viejo High.
Mike Stith’s OC Batbusters 18U team will be one of the favorites to go all the way in every summer event it enters because of great depth at every positions—especially catcher.
The Batbusters have the most talented and deep corps of backstops in club ball with a pair of the top junior catchers in the nation in Sharlize Palacios (Arizona commit) and Kinzie Hansen (Oklahoma-bound and rated by many as the top 2019 prospect at ANY position).
Terra is excited to spend the summer traveling with her Batbuster teammates, whom she considers her best friends.
But the seniors behind the plate are outstanding as well and rated in the Top 30 of the Extra Sports Softball Elite 100 with Colleen Sullivan (UCLA) and Terra McGowan (Arizona State).
Mike Stith told us a few weeks ago, “We’re very deep at catcher and I told all of them that they’ll be playing other positions—there won’t just be one player getting all the innings.”
With four elite catching prospects—who are getting time at first base in Hansen, Palacios and Sullivan’s cases and outfield for McGowan—you’d think there might be resentment, but it appears to be the opposite, at least according to Terra.
When asked about her thoughts in playing her final club season and what it means to be on the Batbusters, she commented: “
I am most excited to spend the whole summer traveling with some of my best friends. It’ll be fun to compete with them and hang out off the field as well!
Chemistry… it’s much discussed, but hard to achieve, but in the Batbusters’ situation, having four talented catcher standouts willing to do what’s best for the team may make the difference in the Anaheim-based program winning yet more national championships.
*** Scroll down to read more on Terra in her club and high school days!
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