Amber Bowman

Amber Bowman was named head coach of the Davenport University softball program on July 31, 2019. Bowman inherits a program that has racked up a record of 421-171-2 (.710 winning percentage) in its 11 seasons including three 40-win campaigns and back-to-back GLIAC regular season runner-up finishes. Bowman becomes the third coach in program history after spending four seasons at Purdue Fort Wayne of The Summit League in NCAA Division I.

"We are excited for Amber to take over the helm of our softball program," said executive director of athletics, Paul Lowden. "The softball program has been a highly successful program within our athletic department both on the field and in the classroom. Amber was able to communicate a strong passion for the student-athlete experience and building relationships, which we feel will be integral in the continued success of this program."
Prior to becoming an assistant coach for the Mastodons, Bowman spent the 2015 season as the head coach at her alma mater, Rio Grande (Ohio), of the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) in the NAIA. She helped lead the RedStorm to an overall record of 32-16, the program's most wins in 11 years. The RedStorm won the KIAC Tournament and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament before falling to eventual NAIA Softball World Series participant, Campbellsville. During the season, the RedStorm opened at just 5-6 before winning 18 of their next 21 games, improving to 23-9 and receiving votes in the NAIA National Poll.
Before landing her first head coaching stint, Bowman was the junior varsity head coach/varsity assistant at the University of Northwestern Ohio (2014) and a graduate assistant at Rio Grande (2012-13) where she earned her master's degree in educational leadership.
As a student-athlete, Bowman was a four-year starter at shortstop for the RedStorm (2008-11), earning All-Mid-South Conference (MSC) honors as a senior and honorable mention All-MSC as a junior. She was also named to the All-MSC Academic Team both of those seasons. In her final season, the Hebron, Ohio native batted .356 with 11 doubles, two triples, two home runs, and 33 runs batted in. She had 47 total hits, scored 28 runs and finished with a .515 slugging percentage. Bowman finished her career with 32 doubles, eight triples, two home runs, and 92 runs batted in.
"I would like to thank Paul Lowden and Ronda Varnesdeel for the opportunity to join such a great athletic department and team," said Bowman. "I am very excited for this opportunity and I'm looking forward to meeting the Panther softball student-athletes while continuing to build on the success this program has already had! I am honored to follow in the footsteps of two successful coaches in Ronda and McCall Salmon who have built this program into what it is today."