A star is born: Wichita State bowler Ryan Barnes steals show at PBA Players Championship
For one afternoon, Wichita State senior Ryan Barnes captivated the world of professional bowling on national television.
Pros and fans of the sport alike watched in wonder as the 21-year-old handled himself like a tour veteran on the grand stage of the televised finals of the PBA Players Championship on Monday at Bowlero Northrock.
A college kid not only showed he could hang with the pros, Barnes proved his best belonged with the best in the world with his inspired run to a third-place overall finish in the season-opening major and a $30,000 check in prize money.
“I’m still trying to process it all,” Barnes said the day after his underdog run. “It’s all been a little overwhelming, to be honest with you. After the show, I had people coming up telling me they look forward to seeing me next time. I had support from the pros. I heard from my old high school coaches, my old basketball coaches reaching out. It’s just been unreal is the only way I can describe it.”
It was a noteworthy achievement for Barnes and his three current WSU teammates, Brandon Bonta, Spencer Robarge and TJ Rock, just to advance to the 88-player field through pre-tournament qualifying. More eyebrows were raised when Barnes and Rock reached match play this past week.
While Bill O’Neill ultimately won the championship, Barnes stole the show by not only reaching Monday’s stepladder finals but winning two matches on national television.
It didn’t take long for Barnes to show the moment wasn’t too big for him, as he opened his first match with eight straight strikes en route to a 267-233 victory over former U.S. Open champion Chris Via. He then erased a 53-pin deficit entering the sixth frame of his second match to edge out Nate Stubler for a 224-220 win.
Despite the elevated stakes, Barnes said he always felt comfortable on Monday — partly because he was bowling at his home center and partly because he had his parents, Chris and Lynda, two of the best bowlers in the world, sitting front row to support him.
“Having them there was incredible, and it definitely took away some of the nerves I had,” Barnes said. “They helped answer any question I had and helped with some of my moves. It meant the world to me having them there. I had my teammates and my coaches there, and I was bowling for them. To me, it felt like I was just bowling at Northrock like any other time.”
The Wichita bowling community created an electric, standing-room-only environment on Monday, which helped spur Barnes on.
Afterward, his father, Chris, gave a shoutout to the crowd in a post-match interview broadcast on FOX.
“I’ll tell you what, Wichita is one of the greatest places in the world for bowling,” Chris Barnes said.
Before he bowed out of the competition, Ryan Barnes made sure to connect one final time with the crowd who had supported him all day. Entering the 10th frame, Barnes could not catch O’Neill, but ended his tournament with three straight strikes.
Before his final shot, Barnes turned to the crowd and waved his arms to encourage more noise. With the crowd roaring in support, Barnes delivered one final strike. Before his ball perfectly bended to knock down all of the pins, Barnes already had his hands raised in celebration.
“Ryan Barnes, you are special!” exclaimed FOX analyst Rob Stone on the telecast.
It was a moment he’ll always remember from a day he’ll always remember.
“It was just an amazing experience with the home crowd, and you can’t beat that,” Barnes said. “It was just a dream scenario. I was a little disappointed in my head, but I knew I needed to be grateful to all of the people who showed up and supported me. You can’t beat Wichita. The people here are amazing and all of that support really meant the world to me. I knew I had to show them some love.”
While this run by Barnes was unexpected, those inside the WSU bowling program believe this is hardly a case of five minutes of fame. Barnes has the talent to compete with the best of the best, and if Monday’s performance was any indication, he is ready to compete for titles right away when he potentially joins the PBA Tour next year.
But before any of those dreams can be fulfilled, Barnes has one more left to bring to reality at Wichita State.
“I’m here to win a national championship with my guys,” Barnes said. “And we’re going to make it happen. There’s no other way around that.”
This story was originally published January 16, 2024 at 7:37 PM.
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