'A special college hitter'
By Jason Mackey
You know life on the baseball diamond is good when your batting average drops to .418.Such is reality for George Mason sophomore and Centreville native Justin Bour, whose 0-for-5 effort during the Patriots' 13-9 win over Georgetown on Tuesday was only one of a few less-than-spectacular performances for the left-handed power hitter this spring.
A 6-foot-4, 250-pound first baseman, Bour has a stranglehold on the majority of Mason's offensive statistics. His aforementioned batting average ranks him first, as well as his 52 RBIs, 122 total bases and .709 slugging percentage. Bour is second in home runs (12) and doubles (12).
“Rarely do you see him take a bad at-bat,” said George Mason coach Bill Brown, whose team improved to 23-21 this season with its win over the Hoyas. “He's really become a very disciplined hitter and a great two-strike hitter.”
The Westfield graduate recently became one of 50 players across the country to be placed on the Dick Howser Watch List, an award handed out by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association to the nation's top player.
Bour arrived on University Drive immediately as a freshman last season, hitting .301 with 14 homers and 56 RBIs, and while the power was always there, Bour's biggest improvement this year has been his ability to also hit for average.
“The [opposite field] thing has really been helping me, hitting the ball to left center field,” said Bour, who was named first team All-State, All-Region and All-District during his senior campaign as a Bulldog. “And when [pitchers] make a mistake, I try and do what I can with it.”
But Bour's success shouldn't surprise anyone who has been following baseball here in Fairfax County over the past couple of years. Bour's older brother Jason, who is now a catcher for the Dayton Dragons in the Cincinnati Reds' organization, also graduated from Mason.
The Bour brothers speak on a daily basis, discussing the ups and downs of each other's baseball lives, as well as off the field matters. Justin even admitted that a call might be in order Tuesday night.
“One of the main reasons I actually came here was to play with my brother,” said Justin, who has reached base safely in every game this season after an intentional walk on Tuesday. “He's pretty busy with his minor league stuff, but I talk to him when I can. He's helped me a lot with everything that I need to get done, both on the field and off.”
As if a bloodline oozing with talent wasn't enough, the Bour family has done its part to maintain a winning tradition at Westfield. After growing up in the same neighborhood as current Westfield stars Matt and Mike Snyder, Bour used to drive the twin brothers to school every morning.
For the rest of this season, the Snyder brothers will continue to chase after the Bour-filled record books at Westfield, and Justin will continue to draw comparisons to his older brother.
“Jason, first and foremost, was an outstanding defensive player, who happened to be a good, solid college hitter,” said Brown. “Justin has developed himself into a good defensive player, but he really has the opportunity to be a special college hitter.”