Duaine Bowles, Humber softball's longest-tenured and winningest coach, recently completed his fifth season as head coach of the softball program in 2021, capturing the OCAA bronze medal. Bowles owns a 86-47 overall record, including a 78-34 mark in OCAA league-play.
Bowles was introduced as head coach by athletic director Ray Chateau on May 2, 2016, following four seasons as the assistant coach. During that time, the Hawks captured two OCAA titles and accumulated an overall record of 60-26 (.697).
Bowles' teams have produced nine All-OCAA League selections, as well as one OCAA Player of the Year and one OCAA Pitcher of the Year.
2019 was Humer softball's most successful season under the guidance of Bowles, as the Hawks ran the table and captured the program's first provincial title since 2013. After giving up a late lead in the final inning, freshman Jessica MacPherson played late-game hero, singling up the middle to score Meagan Muir to win the game in extra innings. Humber won a program-record 22 games, becoming the first team to record 20-plus victories in a season. Softballs 19 wins clinched the regular-season conference title for the first time in program history.
The Hawks were rewarded for their outstanding season with two All-OCAA Conference selections. Presly Buchanan became the first player in program history to be named the OCAA Pitcher of the Year and later became the first softball student-athlete to be named the 2020 Humber Varsity Female Athlete of the Year. Coach Bowles went on to be selected as the 2020 Doug Fox Coach of the Year recipient.
In all five seasons, Humber softball has reached the OCAA Championship tournament, with a final four appearance at the CCSA National Tournament in 2021.
Bowles' coaching philosophy completely changed Humber's offence, culminating in a program-record 15 home runs in 2019. In five seasons the Hawks have hit 50 long balls, while swatting the most in the conference, three times.
Bowles made his coaching debut in 2008 as an assistant coach for the men's baseball team at Thompson River University in British Columbia, learning under the guidance of Ray Chadwick. In three seasons with him on staff, the Wolfpack appeared in three conference title games, winning the CCBC title in 2009. After returning home to Toronto, Bowles became the head coach of the York Baseball U18 team, followed by stints with West Toronto Baseball's U16 and U18 teams. In 2018, he was named the Director of Softball Operations for the Fieldhouse Raiders, coaching the U16 team.
A four-year starter (2003-07) for TRU baseball, Bowles was named the Freshman Athlete of the Year in his first season. A two-time CCBC conference champion ('05, '07), he was later named the Sports Taskforce Male Athlete of the Year in his final season. In 2011 he played for the Humber baseball team, leading the CIBA in doubles and finishing the season with a .400 batting average.
A 2007 graduate of TRU in Technical Theatre and Stage Management, he later earned a Radio Broadcasting diploma from Humber College in 2012.