Wichita State college bowler makes improbable run to PBA Players Championship TV finals

It takes some professional bowlers years to reach a televised final of a major championship on the PBA Tour. Others never make it.

The son of two Hall-of-Fame bowlers, Ryan Barnes is more aware than most college seniors how improbable his run has been this week at the PBA Players Championship in Wichita.

It’s difficult to reach a televised final as an experienced pro. It’s almost unheard of to do so as a college senior.

But that’s exactly what Barnes has pulled off on his home lanes at Bowlero Northrock, as the current senior on the Wichita State bowling team advanced to the five-person stepladder finals slated for 4 p.m. Monday. The championship rounds will air on a national broadcast on FOX, as a pro-WSU crowd is expected to pack the building to cheer on the Wichita State underdog story.

“It still really hasn’t hit yet, but it’s really surreal,” Barnes said. “To be able to do it in front of all of the people who have helped me become the bowler I am today, like my parents and my teammates and my coaches, has been really special. Hopefully I still have a couple games left.”

It was impressive just when Barnes and three other WSU teammates on the defending national championship team in Brandon Bonta, Spencer Robarge and TJ Rock managed to earn their spot through qualifying in the 88-player field for the $100,000 top prize.

But Barnes put together a Cinderella run through qualifying on Saturday.

Needing three straight strikes in the 10th frame of his first qualifying match on Saturday, Barnes calmly delivered each time to advance. He later rallied from a 43-pin deficit to punch his ticket in Monday’s televised finals.

“The odds are stacked against making a TV show no matter who you are, so it’s very improbable for a college kid to be able to do it,” WSU men’s bowling coach Rick Steelsmith said. “I was on the (PBA) Tour for 20 years, so I know how hard it is to make one of these telecasts. He has bowled pretty amazingly, but the level he has played at doesn’t surprise me because I get a chance to watch him every day and he’s super talented. I know what it takes and he obviously has got what it takes.”

Making the weekend even more special was the chance to compete against his father, Chris, a former Shocker star himself who is a 19-time winner on the PBA Tour with three major championships.

Following in his father’s footsteps at Wichita State has been an important journey to Ryan, who credits the college program for his rapid rise in the sport. He didn’t earn a spot on WSU’s select team until his second year in the program, then helped the Shockers bring home their 13th national championship last year.

“The Wichita State bowling program really builds a winning mindset in you,” Barnes said. “The way they bowl, the way they do things, everything is set up around winning a national championship. What happens with most bowlers is that they go to Wichita State, then leave with that mindset and they apply it to their own game. And that’s why so many of those ex-Wichita State guys are so successful.”

Steelsmith added that it certainly helps when your parents are two of the best bowlers in the world.

“Ryan has a really special mindset of wanting to learn and wanting to be better and just being a sponge and take in as much as he can,” Steelsmith said. “He has an unbelievable work ethic. In the last four, five years, I would be really surprised if there’s many bowlers out there who have put in as much time as he has trying to get better out on the lanes.”

Once Barnes earned a spot in the field, he said he had confidence in himself because Bowlero Northrock is where he has bowled the most during his four years in Wichita. He knows those lanes better than anyone, which he believed gave him an advantage this week.

“It was a big confidence-booster, knowing I’ve struck here a bunch of times before,” Barnes said. “I just tried to stay within my game and tried to not let the pros intimidate me because they are intimidating with how amazing they are at what they do. But I also know what I’m capable of.”

Barnes again faces long odds on Monday as the No. 4 seed in the stepladder finals, which means he will need to win four straight matches against higher seeds to complete an improbable run to a championship.

He faces No. 5 seed Chris Via in the opening round on Monday, then could face Nate Stubler, Bill O’Neill and Tom Smallwood.

Barnes hopes Wichita bowling fans and Shocker fans alike will help support him. Tickets for the finals are $30 for general admission and $5 for standing-room only through PBA’s website.

“Hopefully it will be a home crowd and I can get a little bit of momentum on our side,” Barnes said. “I’m hoping we can make some things happen. I’m looking forward to it and I’m super excited, but I’m obviously a little nervous too. That’s just part of it.”