Drafted and signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2004, Bauer was an outstanding lefthanded pitcher who played two seasons with the team’s minor league organization. He pitched in the Pioneer League for the Missoula Osprey in 2004 and the following season, Garrett he toiled in the Northwest League for the Yakima Bears. The following two pro seasons, Bauer pitched minor league ball for the Rockford Riverhawks, which won the Frontier League championship 2006.

Before turning pro, Bauer pitched for University of Missouri and Missouri Baptist Universities. At MoBap, he was a pitcher and later became the coach, guiding the 2008 team to advance to the super regional tournament. He helped develop the career of Clayton Dill, who was drafted by the Washington Nationals in 2008. Bauer was the pitching coach at St. Louis Community College from 2013 to 2017. From 2017 to 2021, he was the pitching coach of the Southern Illinois Miners in Marion, Illinois.

He was a standout pitcher for Lafayette High School in the late 1990s.