Jeff Bowers was hired Wednesday night as the new head coach for the Pottsville Area softball team
Bowers succeeds Chuck Rinaldo, who retired after 19 years at the end of this past season.
He previously coached and served as president of the Pottsville Girls Softball League, and most recently, managed the PA Synergy Fastpitch travel team for nine years.
Bowers joined the Crimson Tide Varsity coaching staff as an assistant under Rinaldo in 2022 and then became the head coach for the Pottsville Area’s first junior high team in 2023.
“I’ve been around the Crimson Tide Softball program since 2018 as both of my daughters were four-year starters for the team,” Bowers says in a statement to The Canary. “Thanks to Coach Rinaldo, I was brought on staff during the 2024 season, and I was able to coach my youngest daughter during her senior year and that is something special.”
Bowers acknowledges the legacy of his predecessor, saying, “Coach Rinaldo left big shoes to fill, and his legacy will live on forever. His relentless determination to establish a junior high program changed the face of Pottsville softball and will shape the future of the program.”
He says he wants to establish summer travel teams made up of Pottsville Area girls to give players more experience to prepare them for their next season.
“Every extra inning you spend on the field only makes you better and I believe that it’s a key to remain competitive and develop girls for the high school level,” he says.
He also has plans for youth instructional camps with coaching staff and current varsity players to aid player development.
Bowers concluded by expressing his gratitude, “I would like to thank the Pottsville Area School Board for this opportunity and Dr. Yoder for all she has done for our student athletes, in particular our softball program.”
Bowers is a 1994 graduate of Pottsville Area High School and a member of the 1994 Crimson Tide Baseball District XI championship team. He currently serves as Police Chief in Minersville.
In addition to Bowers’ appointment as head coach, Michael Scanlan was brought on as assistant coach. Mike Kiehner will be head JV coach with Serenity Allen as assistant JV coach. Rodney Snowell Jr. will be the head junior high coach.
Bruce Heffner, Tom Mull, Mia Bowers, and Raymond Yost will be volunteer assistants.
In other sports appointments on Wednesday, Pottsville Area school board members approved the following:
Baseball
- Head coach: Michael Welsh
- Assistant coach: Ben O’Brien
- JV coach: Ty Steidle
- Assitant JV coach: Jacob Kuperavage
Boys Tennis
- Head coach: Adrian Portland
Track & Field
- Head coach: Jacey Miller
- Assistant coaches: Michael Brennan, Jed Dunkel, Katie Miller
- Volunteers: Brad Miller, Craig Lowthert
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