JANESVILLE - Bo Murley required just one career at-bat to prove himself.

As the story has it, as a third-grader young Bo toiled in the IBL, against players two years older. The first time he stepped in the batters' box his parents feared the worst, fighting the urge to cover their eyes.

Then they heard their son hammer a liner to left field. Then they looked at each other, and nodded knowingly.

So Scott Murley - Bo's father and current coach at Janesville High - wasn't shocked at the unique feat his son accomplished last Saturday.

One game. A state record-tying two grand slams. Ten RBIs.

That was the carnage Bo Murley created in an 18-8 win over North Linn at the Kubik-Finch Tournament in Traer.

"He just rises to the occasion," Scott Murley said, explaining his son's exploits.

"He got some good pitches, and he just took 'em yard," noted Wildcats centerfielder Luke Brace. "If you throw it down the middle, he'll put it out."

"I started out the day with a nice hit," said Bo, "and just got on a roll. Every pitch was perfect, and I just jumped on the opportunities."

But Bo Murley, a catcher hitting close to .500, doesn't swing out of his shoes. The 5-foot-10, 210-pounder will go with the outside pitch, and spray hits to all fields.

Bottom-line, if it benefits his team, this sophomore will do it.

"He has a good feel for the game," said Janesville second baseman Jeremy Johnson, a key cog in the 3-2 Wildcats' attack. "He knows what needs to be done. And he really puts all his effort into it."

The Wildcat contingent also seems to marvel at Murley's athleticism. He can play multiple positions on the diamond, and earned second-team all-conference accolades as an eighth-grader. He also stars in four sports, including football, in which he led Janesville to its first playoff berth ever last fall, as a quarterback.

College recruiters must be impressed, as well. Football coaches at Iowa, Iowa State, Nebraska, and Ohio State have all clogged the Murley's mailbox with letters, despite the fact Janesville plays 8-man ball.

When you're the coach's kid - and your dad openly acknowledges your occasionally awkward, on-field relationship - you feel obligated to out-work your peers. Perhaps that pushes Bo Murley the most.

Or, maybe its simply his passion for the game of baseball.

"I love to get outside, in the summer, and play something I love," the 17-year-old explained.

"He's just hard-nosed, and a tough kid. And he'll battle," Scott Murley noted of his son, who registered 44 RBIs in barely two dozen contests last season.

Scott Murley said coaching his son is "a double-edged sword." You don't want the public to perceive you as someone who plays favorites with your own flesh and blood. And yet, you don't want your summers on the diamond to spill over into your home life.

But Bo Murley still loves the game. Almost as much as he did after that first at-bat in IBL ball, back in third grade.

"You can't take kids and mold them into something they don't want to be," Scott Murley explained. "But he just liked baseball from Day One.

"And he can get a lot better."

Contact Kelly Beaton at (319) 291-1456 or kelly.beaton@wcfcourier.com

On the sidelines with Janesville's Bo Murley …

NOT TO GET TOO TRAUMATIC HERE, BUT EXPLAIN YOUR MONIKER.

"It's kinda embarrassing, but my real name is Bowen. Some people call me Bowen, but people know it makes me mad, so they don't call me that too much."

A FELLOW SLUGGER, SAMMY SOSA, HAS HIS PATENTED HOP. WHAT'S YOUR HOME RUN TROT?

"Usually when I hit it, I don't know if I hit it out right away. I try to run hard on everything, and then, when it's over the fence, that's when you know you can start trotting. You look stupid if you don't run hard."

TEN MONTHS AFTER THE EXPERIMENT, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS OF 8-MAN FOOTBALL, IN WHICH YOU'RE A STAR QB?

"We achieved more than we could have ever imagined, going to the playoffs. It was a pretty neat experience. … I think 8-man is just a little faster. But, overall, it's football; You pass, catch, and block. It's the same thing."