2024-25 NewsTribune Boys Bowler of the Year: Mendota’s Paxton Bauer

Mendota junior Paxton Bauer had what he calls “a rough start” to the bowling season.

It turned out the issue was caused by a growth spurt.

“My legs got bigger, so I was getting to the foul line too fast, and that would force me to let go of the ball,” Bauer said. “I was always dropping it instead of rolling the ball down the lane.”

The growth also affected his hand placement on the ball.

“We got him into a new ball halfway through the season, and that really helped out,” said Mendota coach Matt Bauer, Paxton’s father. “He change a little bit with his hand placement on the ball and was able to start consistently putting out better shots. It doesn’t sound like much, but a quarter inch to half inch is a big adjustment when your hand just doesn’t feel right in the ball.”

After adjusting to his growth, Paxton Bauer took off and finished the season strong.

Bauer finished with a 197 average, which ranked second in the area. He rolled two 700 series, had a 287 high game, placed top 10 in two regular-season tournaments, placed eighth at the Kaneland Regional and finished fourth at the Oregon Sectional to become the third bowler in school history to advance to state.

For all he accomplished this season, Paxton Bauer is the 2024-25 NewsTribune Boys Bowler of the Year.

“I think he had a good season,” Matt Bauer said. “He started out pretty slow but worked through some issues with his release and got that taken care of. Once he got that going and got in the right mindset halfway through the season is when he was really bowling to the potential we expected him to be bowling at.

“He definitely made major improvements later on in the season, so I’m happy with him and the rest of the boys this year.”

Paxton Bauer follows in the footsteps of his older brother, Landon, who was NewsTribune Boys Bowler of the Year the past two seasons.

“It means a lot to me,” Paxton Bauer said about following Landon. “I think it’s pretty cool there have only been three bowlers from Mendota to go to state including me and my brother.

“I’ve learned a lot from him. He was always there to help me. If I was having a rough time, he’d always helped me.”

Paxton Bauer said, “if I’m being honest, it gets rough at some points” having his dad as his coach, but he does appreciate having him there.

“It’s good having him because he knows everything about me and knows what to do when I’m struggling,” Paxton Bauer said.

Matt Bauer said he is “just glad to be part of” his son’s success.

There was a lot of it this postseason.

He rolled a 1,244 six-game series to place eighth at the Kaneland Regional. Matt Bauer said you could see Paxton start to lock in toward the end of the regular season.

“It seemed like the last few regular-season tournaments he really tried to put the team on his back – and Alex Holland did the same thing – to try to give us a shot at winning,” Matt Bauer said. “There was a three- to four-week stretch where he was averaging almost 230 in tournaments. He went on a tear. It was amazing to watch what he was able to do.”

Paxton Bauer did even better at the sectional with a 1,349, including a 287 game, to place fourth.

“I just was dialed in,” Paxton Bauer said. “I had a bunch of strikes. I didn’t leave many pins out there.”

State did not go as planned for Bauer, as he did not advance past the first day, but he hopes the experience can help him next season.

“It was rough,” Paxton Bauer said. “It’s kind of overwhelming when it comes to state. My dad was down there, but it’s really hard not being able to bowl with any of your teammates. At the sectional, I had my teammate Alex Holland there with me to support me. At state, you can’t go back to talk to anybody. You can only stay with your coach. You lose momentum.

“I think [my experience] will help. I’ll know what I’m going into next year.”

Matt Bauer said his son has the potential for an even better senior season.

“He definitely has the mechanics,” Matt Bauer said. “He has the ball speed and rev rate. He does have a winning spirit in there. If he works through his mental game and can get that into position where he knows he’ll never take himself out of it no matter how bad a game gets or how bad one ball is, he’s going to be good.”