Former Northwestern College softball coach Shane Bouman is speaking publicly for the first time since accepting the head coaching position at St. Cloud State University.
Bouman, who led the Raiders to the most successful stretch in program history over the past eight seasons, joined Calling All Sports on Friday (July 10) and reflected on what made the decision so difficult after building Northwestern into a perennial NAIA contender.
After compiling a 271-108-1 record, winning three straight GPAC regular season championships and guiding the program to three consecutive NAIA Opening Round appearances, Bouman says walking away wasn’t easy.
“It was very difficult. It really was. We had a great spot. We have phenomenal friends here. Northwestern is a special place. The support we had, and then what we were able to do… these powerful women that I coached gave us an opportunity every day to compete at a crazy high level. Through that, we won a lot of softball games and created a lot of stories they’ll be able to tell for the rest of their life.”
Why St. Cloud State?
Bouman says the opportunity at NCAA Division II St. Cloud State simply aligned with everything he and his family were looking for.
He says the Huskies offer many of the same opportunities he enjoyed at Northwestern—including competing for conference, regional and national championships—but at what he described as “just a touch higher level.”
“This one checked pretty much all the boxes that I was looking for personally and professionally. Can you win a conference championship? Can you win a regional championship? Can you compete for a national championship? We have those opportunities there, probably just a touch higher level, and I’m really excited.”
Ready for the Next Chapter
The Minnesota native also said he’s excited to coach in what he considers one of the nation’s premier Division II softball conferences after St. Cloud captured the NSIC championship and reached the NCAA Tournament this past season.
Bouman says he’s eager to continue building on the program’s recent success while helping players reach another level.
“As difficult as it was the last little while here making this decision to leave Northwestern, I’m really looking forward to this next chapter and excited.”
Bouman was announced as St. Cloud State’s new head coach earlier this month. Before arriving at Northwestern in 2018, he served as head coach at Indiana State, Iowa Lakes Community College, and South Dakota State, and was an assistant coach at the University of Iowa.
Audio for this story is courtesy of Calling All Sports, which airs weekdays during the 4:00 hour on 106.9 KIHK
