Northwestern College Athletic Director Earl Woudstra has announced the hiring of Shane Bouman as the Red Raiders' head softball coach.

"We are excited to have Shane join our Red Raider coaching staff," Woudstra said. "Shane has a wealth of softball experience and enthusiasm for coaching. We believe he can hit the ground running to build on the success from last season and the good foundation that our previous coach, Chris Nachtigall, has provided for our program. Shane is committed to the Christ-centered mission of Northwestern College, and we look forward to having Shane, his wife Amy, and his two young children, Baylor and Berkely, engage in the life of our college and community."

Bouman has spent 15 years as an assistant or head coach at NCAA Division I schools, including South Dakota State, the University of Iowa and most recently Indiana State. He accumulated an overall record of 118-172 in his five-plus seasons as head coach at ISU, leading the Sycamores to their first NCAA tournament berth and tournament victory in program history. Bouman guided Indiana State to the 2015 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship, and his teams established several school records during his time with the Sycamores. 

He also spent one season as the head coach at Iowa Lakes Community College, where his team finished with a 27-12 overall record and advanced to the Region XI tournament. Prior to his time at Iowa Lakes, Bouman served as the pitching coach at the University of Iowa, where the Hawkeyes went 109-59 and qualified for the NCAA tournament in two of three seasons. Iowa's pitchers finished both the 2008 and 2009 seasons with the seventh-best team ERA in the NCAA under Bouman's tutelage.
Before coming to Iowa, Bouman served as head coach for six seasons at South Dakota State University, and he owns the most wins in program history. During Bouman's tenure, the Jackrabbits set school records for career home runs, stolen bases, RBI, and sacrifices.

"My family and I are so blessed and excited to be joining the mission of Northwestern College," said Bouman. "I cannot thank President Greg Christy and Earl Woudstra enough for this opportunity. As we join this well-established program, we look to raise the standard on a daily basis, growing both on and off the field as student-athletes who serve. Red Raider softball will develop strong women who love to compete and become champions for life."

Aside from coaching, Bouman is also an accomplished softball pitcher. He is a four-time Amateur Softball Association (ASA) All-American and a two-time North American Fastpitch Association (NAFA) All-American. He is also the owner of Champions Circle Fastpitch, through which he provides specialized small-group and individual softball instruction for athletes, coaches and parents throughout the Midwest.