COMING FULL CIRCLE

Former softball standout Morgan Bohanan takes over as head coach

By Adrian Holguin | Sports Media Student

Morgan Bohanan’s softball career has been filled with both heartbreaking circumstances and huge wins and accomplishments. All of these events have prepared her to take the reigns as the newest head softball coach at Butler.

Bohannan, a player on Butler’s first national championship team in 2016, has gone from being an assistant coach to taking over perinneal power program, being promoted after long-time coach Doug Chance retired after the 2022 season. Chance had compiled 772 wins over 18 seasons, winning two national titles.

“I’m not gonna change much in terms of how the program is run day-to-day,” Bohanan said. “I’m inheriting a lot of what Coach Chance did successfully and the expectations remain the same, if not even higher. It’s winning our conference and making it to the national tournament and hopefully winning it all.”

Bohanan’s parents had long been friends with Chance, which meant she had been aware of the success of Butler softball since she was a young girl. That was about the time she started her own softball career.

She grew up with two older brothers and they, along with her father, pushed her into multiple sports early on in her life. Once Bohanan discovered softball, she never looked back.

“I was drawn to softball around the age of 7. I was approached by the father of a basketball teammate, and he asked if I was interested in joining a softball club team and my family decided to give it a try. It just stuck from there.”

Soon after, Bohanan was traveling around the country and participating in national tournaments. Getting this experience at an early age helped her immensely and gave her valuable and memorable experiences. She quickly made a name for herself and began receiving college offers as early as the eighth grade.

At Goddard High School, she joined a handful of future Division 1 athletes and continued to gain confidence.

“Coming in as a freshman was a bit nerve-wracking at first, but soon after I started, I realized that I could hang with those girls. Overall, it was a tremendous experience being a part of those teams.”

Bohanan was recruited by numberous colleges, but the decision to play at the University of Kansas was an easy one.

“I grew up a Jayhawk fan. The call from them is what I had been waiting for my entire life,” Bohanan said. “I went on a visit with them and ended up committing on the spot.”

Bohanan’s run with the Jayhawks was cut short following an untimely shoulder injury in the first game of her freshman season. She tore her labrum and dislocated her shoulder while going for a double play while filling in at the second base spot. Following the surgery, she still was not 100% and wouldn’t be throughout the remainder of her collegiate career, “It was always something I was fearful of (reaggravating the shoulder). It stayed in my mind almost constantly.” Bohanan made the decision to transfer from the University of Kansas following her freshman campaign after only playing four games for the Jayhawks. She thought her softball career was finished.

On the drive home from Lawrence, she called Chance. He told her to reconsider her decision to retire from softball.

“He told me, ‘Listen, come here for a year, and see if you like it. If you don’t, you can leave, but let’s just give it a try,” Bohanan said.

In 2016, Bohanan helped lead the Grizzlies to a final record of 53-4 and a National Title. She was named a Division 1 All-American and she led Butler in batting average (.490), doubles (30), and on-base percentage (.562).

“2016 was very special, we hadn’t won a (softball) national championship at Butler before that so it wasn’t one of the expectations from the outside,” Bohanan said. “That’s just something you remember forever. We set a lot of firsttime records and it was all extremely special.”

After Butler, Bohanan moved on to Creighton University in Omaha, but once again the injury bug started to rear its ugly head. She ended up tearing her labrum for the second time and that officially brought an end to her collegiate playing career.

Her coaching career began shortly after this at Otero Junior College in La Junta, Colo.

“Otero was a great place for me to have my first coaching job,” Bohanan said. “It’s a small town and a smaller school so it was a slower-paced start which was great for me. My head coach was great and so was the entire program.”

After one season in Colorado, Chance convinced Bohanan to return to Butler and join his staff. In two years as an assistant, Bohanan helped lead the Grizzlies to a 99-8 record. Now, she must continue to lead a program that has been used to success under Chance.

Morgan describes Chance as a sort of second dad to her. “He was with me throughout my entire softball journey from all the way back when I was still learning how to field and hit. He was always there for me.

“I can never be Coach Chance or live up to that, but I know I can be Coach Bohanan.”