The Valley League has named R.W. Bowman league commissioner and President. Becoming just the fourth to hold this position since 1985, Bowman was elected to the role in a league Board of Directors meeting in November, 2021. 

Bowman spent 30 years in law enforcement with the Woodstock Police Department, and served on the Board of Directors of the Woodstock River Bandits since 2003. He was the team’s General Manager for 12 years, and served as an Assistant to the Commissioner under Bruce Alger for two years. He is also a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association. Bowman and his wife, Marsha, live in Edinburg, Virginia. Of his new appointment, Bowman said, “I am very excited to be the Commissioner/President of the Valley Baseball League and look forward to bringing quality, fan friendly baseball to all our ballparks.”

Bowman moved quickly in his new role, adding a 12th team to the league, the Culpeper Cavaliers, to begin play in 2023. Mike Paduano (Charlottesville) will serve as Senior Vice President, while Jay Neal (Strasburg) is Executive Vice President. 

The Valley League begins play on June 2, 2022.