VIDALIA — Barry Bowden is ready to continue his climb toward the major leagues this spring.

The former Vidalia High School and Southern Miss pitcher finished last season in Double-A with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Bowden, a Kansas City Royals prospect, said moving to Double-A was a good experience for him.

“I wasn’t throwing very well, and was working on a few things, but it was good to get experience there,” Bowden said.

“Hitters go through slumps and pitchers go through slumps, and it was just one of those times for me.”

Bowden pitched just 11 innings with the Naturals, tallying a 5.73 ERA while striking out 11 and walking three. He spent most of last season with the High-A Singleton Wilmington Blue Rocks, where he posted a 1.56 ERA with 40 strikeouts and just 14 walks. Opposing batters hit just .218 off Bowden in High-A.

“There were definitely some good batters in Double-A, but you have that at every level you play at,” Bowden said. “It just gets more consistent as you go up. But if you make pitches, you can get anyone out.”

Bowden features three pitches in his arsenal, a fastball, curveball and changeup. He said he feels good about his fastball and curveball, but needs to regain his feel for his changeup.

“I want to go into spring training with all three,” Bowden said. “My changeup has been my out pitch since college.

“It’s always been a go-to pitch, so it’s important to get it back. When I feel like I can throw that, I can get anyone out.”

Despite being a starter in high school and college, the Royals made Bowden a reliever when he joined their organization. And Bowden said it’s a move he’d like to stick with.

“It’s a lot easier on the arm,” he said. “I feel more healthy throughout the year. You have to be prepared for every game to pitch, because the mind set is that you can throw any day.

“When you’re starting and you have a bad game, you have to wait a week to get back out there. With the bullpen, you can go out the next day.”

Bowden will attend the Royals’ minor league camp in spring training, and hopes to start the season back in Double-A. He’d also like to eventually make it to Triple-A, he said.

“I started throwing at the end of the month, and I’ll be throwing bullpen sessions in a couple of weeks,” Bowden said.

In the meantime, Bowden said he would be helping some local athletes at a baseball camp he’s putting on Jan. 15 at Vidalia High School’s baseball field. For more information on the camp, Bowden can be reached at 601-431-5596.