Sowers, Whitney Headshot

Whitney Sowers

    After joining the Millikin staff in 2015 as an assistant coach, Whitney Sowers was promoted to Co-Head Softball Coach in January 2018.    
        In their second season with the Big Blue program, Sowers and Co-Head Coach Katie Tenboer led Millikin to a 32-12 record and a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Regular Season Championship in 2017.  The Big Blue posted a 14-2 conference record earning Tenboer and Sowers the CCIW Softball Coaching Staff of the Year Award.  Playing in first season at the Workman Family Softball Field, the Big Blue posted an impressive 14-0 home regular season record.  In 2018, Millikin posted a 22-14 record and the Big Blue went 26-12 in 2019 breaking into the Top 25 national rankings during the season.
    In the 2021 season, the Big Blue were both the CCIW regular season and tournament champions with a 31-13 overall record and a 24-8 conference record. Millikin went 4-0 in the CCIW tournament to advance to their second NCAA tournament appearance in program history and finished the season ranked 20th in the nation. Tenboer and Sowers were named the CCIW coaching staff of the year in the historic season and played host to the NCAA Division III Decatur, Ill. Regional at the Workman Family Softball Field. 
    Sowers played collegiate at NCAA Division III softball powerhouse Central College where she was a four year starter and had a .390 career batting average.  She earned All-Conference recognition in all four years.  Sowers helped Central to the NCAA Tournament in 2013.  While at Central, Sowers played for Head Coach George Wares, the winningest coach in NCAA Division III history.
         “Whitney exemplified what a "team player" is,” said Wares.  “She demonstrated leadership by her actions. Whether in a game setting or practice Whitney played the game with a passion. The type of player that you wanted the ball hit to for your last out, and the player you wanted at the plate when the game was on the line. That is something I am sure she will pass on to the women she gets the opportunity to coach at Millikin.”
         Sowers was a member of Central’s Student Athlete Advisory Council and was selected as a representative to the Iowa Women’s Leadership Conference in 2014 and the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Leadership Conference in 2013.
         Sowers graduated from Central College with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 2015.