Florida Gators

Florida softball head coach Tim Walton announced Mike Bosch as an assistant coach for the program Friday, July 27, 2018. Bosch, entering his third year with the Gators as the pitching coach, joined after he compiled a record of 88-65 (.575) in three seasons as the head coach at Syracuse University.
 
In his first season, Bosch helped mentor and coach All-American hurler Kelly Barnhill during her senior campaign. He also developed freshman Elizabeth Hightower into an All-SEC Freshman Team selection in 2019 and  most recently guided junior Natalie Lugo and freshman Rylee Trlicek to successful starts in 2020 before the season came to an early hault due to COVID-19.

Both Lugo and Trlicek earned SEC Pitcher of the Week honors prior to the end of the season and Lugo finished the year as the NCAA leader in saves with six.

In 2021, Bosch's continued development with the pitching staff led to Hightower being the Gators ninth overall All-American pitcher in program history and the second in his three years with the program. The recognition for Hightower continued a legacy of the Gators fielding an All-American in the circle every year since 2007. The program also tied the 2016 single-season record in saves with 12 as Katie Chronister finished third in the nation and tied for the program's single season mark with six on the year.
 
At Syracuse he spearheaded the development of six All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) selections during his three seasons at the helm of the Syracuse program. Most notably was 2017 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top-10 Finalist Sydney O’Hara – the only finalist for the most prestigious award in collegiate softball in the program’s history. Most recently he helped guide sophomore pitcher Alexa Romero, who finished the year as the 2018 NCAA statistical champion in strikeouts per seven innings (10.9), and the Syracuse pitching staff to a 2.35 ERA that ranked 41st nationally.
 
Bosch now has the opportunity to collaborate and apply his abilities with one of the top pitching staffs in the country.
 
Before taking over the Orange program, Bosch served as an assistant coach at Syracuse during 2011, 2012 and 2015 seasons with the primary responsibility of developing the pitching staff. In 2015, he helped junior pitcher Jocelyn Cater finish 19th in the nation in strikeouts per seven innings (9.0) and 26th in total strikeouts (236).
 
While in 2012, Bosch guided the Orange to 1.77 ERA, which ranked 18th nationally and set school records for ERA (1.77), strikeouts (459) and strikeouts per game (7.89). In 2011, the program claimed the Big East championship with a single-season record 45 wins behind the arm of Big East Pitcher of the Year and ECAC Pitcher of the Year Jenna Caira.
 
Throughout his time at Syracuse, Bosch tutored two of the program’s three National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Americans in O’Hara (2017) and Caira (2012).

Prior to his return in 2014 to Syracuse, Bosch was the National Softball Director for Frozen Ropes, Inc. in Chester, N.Y. from 2012-13.
 
Before Bosch joined the Orange in 2011, he served as the head coach at Iowa Lakes Community College from 1997-2010 where he compiled a record of 525-236-2 (.689). While there, he developed 28 All-Americans and 81 All-Region Selections along with his staff being named the NFCA Midwest Coaching Staff of the Year in 2006 and 2010.
 
He steered the Lakers to Region XI Championships in 2008 and 2010, while the 2009 squad competed for the Region XI title. The 2008 and 2010 teams earned berths to the National Junior College Collegiate Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Championships, where they finished fifth and third, respectively.
 
In 1990, Bosch earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics education from Southwest Minnesota State University and completed his master’s degree in mathematics from Mankato State University in 1997. He served as a mathematics professor at Iowa Lakes Community College from 1996-2010 and 2013-2014.