Coach Eddie Smith got a big boost to his lineup on Sunday night when Colton Bower announced his return to the Washington Huskies for his senior season.
The local product of North Kitsap High School in Poulsbo put together a dominant junior season while splitting his time between catcher and designated hitter, and took the next step forward in his development at the plate, establishing himself as one of the Huskies’ most powerful offensive threats.
Bower finished the year with a .311 batting average (up 97 points from a .214 mark his sophomore year), 1.043 OPS, 46 hits, 12 home runs, 36 runs batted in, 98 total bases, and 30 runs scored, all of which were good for second on the team behind sophomore outfielder Jackson Hotchkiss. However, his name doesn’t appear on any Big Ten leaderboards after he missed some time with injuries and played in just 39 games.
He’s baaaaack 👀
BOWER is officially BACK for another year on Montlake! 💪 pic.twitter.com/kHlVlznqYQ
— Washington Baseball (@UW_Baseball) June 8, 2026
Bower announced his return from injury with authority during a matchup with a three-home run performance against the Indiana Hoosiers, which earned him Big Ten Player of the Week honors. He went 4-for-5 on the day in Bloomington and became the second player in UW history to hit three homers, and he barely missed a fourth that banged off the right field wall in the ninth inning (although he did score on the play due to a throwing error), as he posted 6 RBIs and 4 runs scored.
However, despite that, his signature performance came in Washington’s 8-0 upset win over the No. 1 UCLA Bruins, in which he went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs and a triple, finishing with 3 runs batted in and 3 runs scored as the Huskies earned their second win over a top ten opponent on the year.
With Hotchkiss in the transfer portal, Bower should be expected to be the centerpiece of Smith’s lineup in 2027.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington Huskies standout set to return for 2027 season
