Kayla Bowen joined the Mines coaching staff in January 2025. A five-year letter winner at New Mexico State, Bowen spent the 2024 season as a graduate assistant for the Aggies.
During her five seasons as a player in Las Cruces, Bowen was a three-time All-WAC selection and ended her career with First Team All-Conference honors in 2023 in addition to being named to the WAC's All-Defensive Team. Bown was also named Third Team All-Pacific Region by the NFCA, becoming the 20th Aggie all-time to earn All-Region honors.. She started 207 of the 217 games she played in her career including all 97 she played in over her final two seasons. A career .325 hitter, Bowen amassed 205 hits, 45 doubles, 44 home runs and 149 RBI on her way to a .616 slugging percentage. In 2023 she posted the best season of her career, posted a .387/.453/.817 line with 14 doubles, 15 home runs, 37 RBI, 55 hits and 42 runs scored. Bowen also found her name among the national leaders in 2023, ranking 39th in home runs, 18th in home runs per game, 40th in doubles per game and 14th in slugging percentage.
She batted north of .300 in each of her final three seasons and can find her name in several places in the New Mexico State record books. Her 44 career home runs rank fifth all-time while her 45 doubles are good for third, as is her .817 slugging percentage from 2023. Bowen also saw action in the circle during the 2022 season, making 16 appearances as a reliever. An elite defender as well from her first base position in her career, Bowen fielded .975 over five seasons and .980 or better in each of her last four seasons, capped with a .996 performance with just one error in 247 chances in 2023.
A Fresno, California native, Bowen earned a Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology before completing a Master's degree in Communication Studies.
