Photo courtesy of gobonnies.com
BY: AIDAN SHINNERS; STAFF WRITER
During the 2026 season, the St. Bonaventure softball team will be managed by first-time head coach Camden Decker.
Decker joins the Bonnies following three consecutive 30 plus win seasons as an assistant coach with the Troy University Trojans. Decker led the Trojans to a 34-22 record during the 2024 campaign, including notching a 16-0 win over Coastal Carolina in the postseason. During his time with Troy, Decker coached three All-Conference pitchers.
Decker spent time at Doug Gillis International Fastpitch Institute, where he worked directly with pitchers, earning his role with Kennesaw State as a pitching coach in 2019, where he stayed until 2022. Decker spent four seasons with the Owls, including a Covid-shortened season where the team began the season 21-4.
Decker also has assistant coaching experience with Delaware University, UT Arlington, and Arkansas University. In Decker’s first season as the UT Arlington pitching coach, the team’s Earned Run Average (ERA) dropped nearly two points. Additionally, Decker coached two All-Conference pitchers with the Mavericks.
Junior pitcher Kylie Bickert said that Decker’s winning experience has already impacted the team.
“He came from a school that played power four teams regularly,” Bickert said. “He has brought that knowledge to us here at Bonaventure to close the gap between mid-major and power four.”
During his first season with Troy, the Trojans defeated ranked opponents Texas State University and Louisiana University. With Kennesaw State, Decker picked up an NCAA Regional victory over the Southeastern Conference’s Auburn University, the first regional win in program history.
Prior to coaching, Decker was a baseball player for Waubonsee Community College, and later Trinity International University, where he began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant with the softball team while still playing baseball.
Decker also has experience playing softball, as a former member of the Team USA Men’s National Fastpitch team.
Bickert added that Decker has put fixing simple mistakes at the top of his priority, something Bickert said the team had struggled with in big moments last season.
“[Decker] has really set the standards about working on the basics every single day.” Bickert added, “We had trouble doing basic things in big moments and I think we’re going to be much better at that moving forward.”
Decker is working with a Bonnies team that finished 11-35 last season. Their pitching staff combined for a 7.36 ERA across eight pitchers, tallying a team total of 145 strikeouts.
Bickert appeared in 17 games as a pitcher and is excited for the opportunity to work with Decker.
“[Decker] has made an impact on the pitchers already,” Bickert said. “Getting this type of coaching is the key we were missing in the past and it’s going to pay off in the spring.”
