Welcome back to Card Essentials, where Stanford student-athletes share the stories behind the items they carry with them every day, big or small. In today's edition, we caught up with Stanford Baseball infielder Drew Bowser. A junior Science, Technology & Society major, Bowser is a two-time Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll honoree, a Pac-12 team champion (2022), and owns two trips to the College World Series. Drew breaks down his everyday essentials, the items he can't go a day without.
GoStanford.com: "The Star Wars cards are awesome. What's the story there?"
Drew Bowser: "So I've always been a Star Wars fan, ever since I was a little kid. Recently I've started to play cards more from my girlfriend, and she got me these actually. It's always been something near and dear to my heart because of that."
GS: "Are you a big reader?"
DB: "I'll be honest - if it's not necessary I don't read that much. The Bible and this book are probably the most consistent two things I read outside of books for school. I've always been a Christian, but I'd say the past 6-12 months I've been on a different journey as far as my faith goes. I carry around the Bible with me everywhere I go and I try to read it as much as I can. Same with the other book as well. It's kind of a daily challenge that presents daily verses and how it can apply to daily life. I think Tony Dungy does a great job of breaking it down that way."
GS: "Okay, let's go from reading to writing. Tell us about your notebook!"
DB: "So that notebook has a lot of random stuff in it, ha. It has class notes, just things I'm grateful for, notes on college baseball - all sorts of stuff. It's kind of a place for me to share what's on my mind like right now, at any given point in time."
GS: "Everyone's got headphones, a true essential. How important is music to you?"
DB: "So I started out with the wired headphones, then moved on to wireless buds, and now these over-the-ear ones that I love. Ever since I was a kid I've been into music, so I have to have a good set of headphones. My dad has probably thousands of records around the house, so even though I like the current stuff, I still have a love for some of the older music, things like 80s and 90s R&B. I feel like I'm always listening to music unless I'm talking to someone, then looking for artists, songs, playlists, etc. in the meantime."
GS: "What about the smaller pieces here?"
DB: "This is a gold bracelet I've had since high school and pretty much goes with me wherever I go. It actually used to be a necklace but it was too long, so I cut it down for a bracelet. This other bracelet is one that I got from my girlfriend for my 20th birthday, so that means a lot to me. The watch is the one we got for winning the Pac-12, which I always knew was a thing within the program. It's just really special to me because I think about the guys who have come before me and had success here and they always have these little things like this that are slices of history at Stanford. I'm proud to be a part of that and have my own slice of history."
Follow Drew on Twitter and Instagram.