After nearly 11 months of waiting, Cotter softball coach Pat Bowlin reached his 700th career win.

The Cotter softball team defeated Dover-Eyota 9-0 on Monday, April 23th, giving  Bowlin his milestone.

It was a special night for Bowlin and the Cotter softball team, and here are some reactions from the players:

“We are very proud and to have such a good coach, and know that he knows what he’s doing. It was a special moment because of how big the milestone was. Going through moments like that as a team really helps us to realize how blessed we really are to have such an incredible coach,” Josie Huelskamp said.

“Mr. Bowlin has coached a lot of games and therefore has a lot of good experiences and stories that help to prove his points. We feel confident to put our trust in what he wants us to do because of his knowledge. He’s very real genuine in all his coaching points. He really wants to help us do our best, and has good constructive criticism for us”

“Last night was our long-awaited home opener, and it felt very special to have a lot of fans there in support of both the team and Mr. Bowlin. It was pretty incredible the trips his family made to be there for him too. His daughter, Devin, is due with her baby, any day now and was there to support him,” Huelskamp added.

“Being on a team with  a coach who has 700 wins is very encouraging. We know that Mr. Bowlin is a great coach and that there have been really good teams come out of Cotter in the past, I find that a huge motivator for our team. We also have a very good pitcher and commonly we see teams with good pitchers and no other defensive player to back her up. Mr. Bowlin makes it clear that it is important that we be an all around team, we want to be a team that can compete with any team. Our team is made up of a lot of younger players, but I have been extremely impressed with the way they have stepped up and became a part of our team,” said senior Aspen Jerowski.

“Playing softball on the Cotter team is really fun! Being on the team for Mr. Bowlin’s 700 win was pretty great! It’s always nice to be there for the big milestones of an exceptional coach. Mr. Bowlin knows what he’s talking about as a softball coach and I really appreciate that as someone who loves the game. To be quite honest, last night was your typical varsity game, but as the season opener at home I definitely felt like there was a bit more stress.  Beyond that though, the game was a really fun one to start the season off with,” Abree Dieterman, a varsity 9th grader, said.

“So this is my first year playing varsity for Mr. Bowlin but I really feel special and blessed to be apart of his team when he got his 700th win. I also thought that God really blessed me by letting my first varsity game ever be one of Mr. Bowlin’s milestones in his life. I haven’t been with Mr. Bowlin for long but as a coach he really pushes us to be the best player on the field. But he also give us life lessons to learn that tie into the game like “Never give up. If you do then you for sure will fail in softball and in life. If you don’t push yourself to be your best then you will not get anywhere in life.” That really stuck with me. He is also very wise in the game because he has been the coach of Cotter softball for 27 years. But through those years he really has changed with meeting people that change his life or really good players of the game.” said varsity 8th grader Alison French.

“Mr. Bowlin said after he got his 700th win that he never really appreciated theses milestones because he didn’t like the attention. But he then said over the years he started to appreciate them more and more because this only happens once in a lifetime and he said he is really starting to realize that because his second grandchild is due in two weeks. He said this really made his day and week and I hope that I will be there for his 800th win,” French said.

Here is the link to the Winona Daily News story on Bowlin’s accomplishment: https://www.winonadailynews.com/sports/high-school/a-milestone-opener-cotter-softball-coach-pat-bowlin-reaches-career/article_2faf3669-9a77-58f2-a79b-49b77b709149.html#2