Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University Director of Athletics Joe Reich has announced that Makayla Bowman will take over as the Interim head coach of the Wingate University softball program. The Wingate administration will be conducting a nation-wide search for a head coach in the upcoming weeks.

"We are glad to have Makayla leading the program," Reich says. "This is a team that has had great success over the past few years and we are confident Makayla can continue that excellence."

Bowman joined the Wingate softball coaching staff last year. She helped lead the Bulldogs to a third consecutive regular season SAC title in 2025 and a fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. The 'Dogs hosted SAC Tourney play for the third consecutive season, advancing to the finals while also picking up a pair of victories at the NCAA regionals. Wingate went 39-23 overall in 2025, with an 18-6 record in SAC play.

"I am looking forward to the opportunity to continue to work with this great group of young women," Bowman says. "We strive to keep the team playing at the championship level that they have been at over these past three seasons."

In her first year with the Bulldogs, Bowman served several roles in the program. She assisted with the outfielders and the offense, while serving as the first base coach. She was in charge of travel itineraries and assisted in recruit visits, while also helping with field maintenance.

Bowman joined the Wingate coaching staff after serving as an assistant coach at Crandall ISD in Dallas, Texas. She also spent seven years as a private instructor and summer ball coach. Bowman earned her undergraduate degree and master's degree at Rogers State, earning her MBA in 2202.

As a student-athlete, Bowman spent her first two collegiate seasons playing at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, earning NJCAA All-Tournament team accolades in 2018 and 2019. She spent her final two seasons at Rogers State, earning All-MIAA and NFCA All-Region accolades for the national champion Hillcats.

Bowman started all 68 games during the 2022 national championship season, hitting .317 with 11 homers, 12 doubles, 40 RBI and 35 runs scored. The Hillcats were dominant all season, going 58-10 overall and 20-6 in the MIAA. Rogers State swept through the conference tournament to claim the MIAA tourney title, while going 4-1 in regionals to advance to super regionals, where the Hillcats outscored Central Oklahoma 15-2 in the two victories to punch a ticket to the World Series. Rogers State continued its dominance in the World Series, winning all five games to claim the national title, with Bowman collecting hits in four of the five World Series games with an RBI in each of the final two contests.

Bowman wrapped up her collegiate career by hitting .354 with 283 hits including 47 homers, driving in 216 runs during her four-year career.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University is a lab of difference-making that serves more than 3,400 students in North Carolina and offers 60 degree pathways, including 37 undergraduate majors, 10 pre-professional tracks and five dual-degree programs. Graduate students choose from seven master's and five doctoral programs. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences, the Levine College of Health Sciences, the Byrum School of Business, the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a leader in healthcare education where nearly one in five undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Student-athletes on Wingate's 30 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award the past 17 times it has been awarded. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.