Frank Bowne is in his fifth season with the Hawai‘i Pacific University baseball program. Bowne directs the Shark pitching staff and his collateral duties include recruiting, housing, summer placement and community service coordinator.
Bowne has directed the Sharks pitching staff to new heights that have included setting HPU records for team strikeouts in 2017 with 335 after setting a high-water mark in 2015 with 311. He has coached All-Americans Brandon Bonilla (2016) and Matt Gunter (2017), as Gunter was also named the PacWest Conference and NCBWA Division II West Region Pitcher of the Year. Gunter and Rico Garcia (2015) were also named D2CCA All-West Region. Bowne has helped four HPU pitchers sign Major League Baseball contracts: Bonilla (2016, Baltimore Orioles, drafted 13th round), Garcia (2016, Colorado Rockies 30th round), Gunter (2017, Toronto Blue Jays, 33rd round), and Harley Holt (2015, St. Louis Cardinals, Free Agent).
Bowne came to HPU in the fall of 2013 as a graduate assistant, after five successful years as the Assistant Head Coach/Pitching Coach at Shasta College in Redding, California. He began his coaching career at Pleasant Valley High School in Chico, Calif., and was the pitching coach for the highly successful Chico American Legion team from 1992 to 1994. In 1995, Bowne was named the pitching coach for Modesto Junior College, where eight of his pitchers were drafted and numerous others received scholarships to four-year universities. During his time at Shasta College, Bowne helped the baseball team have a 98% transfer rate to four-year institutions.
After graduating Modesto (Calif.) High School in 1987, Bowne pitched two years at Modesto Junior College. He transferred to Chico State, pitching two seasons and earning All-CCAA honors. He was named team captain in 1991.
A resident of Waianae, Bowne holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education and minor in Health Science from Chico State in 1994, and earned his Master’s Degree in Organizational Change and Development from Hawai‘i Pacific in 2015.
