College Notes: Payton Gottshall enjoys record-breaking softball season for Bowling Green

The Bowling Green softball team finished the season with a 27-27 record and was made up mainly of freshmen and redshirt freshmen. And the leader of the team and the young group was Payton Gottshall, a former star at Perry High School. 

The 5-foot-9 redshirt freshman right-hander had a record-breaking season for the Falcons, whose roster featured 14 newcomers among their 23 players. 

Gottshall shattered two team records on the season. She had 282 strikeouts and averaged 9.79 strikeouts per seven innings to move to the top of the list in the record book. Her victories (20) and complete games (25) are tied for third, her eight shutouts tied for fifth and her innings pitched (201.2) tied for ninth. 

While the numbers look outstanding, they could have been even better than that. Gottshall missed nearly a month of the season with an injury. She finished 20-12 in 33 games and 29 starts, with a 1.87 ERA. She gave up 131 hits and 60 runs, 54 earned, and 67 walks to go along with her 282 strikeouts.

She earned Mid-American Conference Freshman Pitcher of the Year and first team All-MAC honors.

“When it comes to Payton Gottshall, anything I might say would be an understatement with the year she had,” coach Sarah Willis said. “Along with her natural talent, her mindset as a competitor is one of the strongest I have ever worked with. When you combine those two things with her work ethic, you get a record-breaking year and become one of the top pitchers in the conference.” 

The coach wondered what would have happened this year if Gottshall had not sustained the injury.

“That is an answer we will get in the 2022 season,” Willis said. 

Bowling Green was picked to finish eighth in the 11-team Mid-American Conference but behind Gottshall, the Falcons finished fifth with a 19-20 league record. The 27 overall victories are the most for the team since 2013.

Brennon Tibbs (GlenOak) The redshirt senior wide receiver helped Sam Houston State win a national title in football earlier this month. Sam Houston defeat South Dakota State 23-21 in the FCS national championship game, May 16, in Frisco, Texas. The Bearkats went 10-0 this spring in winning their first FCS title in school history. Tibbs, a 6-0, 185-pound transfer from Marshall, appeared in nine of the 10 games, including the title game. He caught four passes for 71 yards this past season. In his first season at Sam Houston in 2019, he played in all 12 games, caught a pass in 11 of them, and finished with 20 receptions for 218 yards and two TDs. Tibbs will return to action for the Bearkats in the fall.

Jordan Brewster (Hoover) The junior defender was named second-team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches All-American on May 13 after a standout season with the West Virginia women’s soccer team. She finished with a goal and two assists and was the key defensive player for the Mountaineers, who finished 10-4-1 and held foes to 13 goals with three shutouts. The team earned its 21st straight bid to the Division I NCAA Tournament but saw its season come to an end with a 1-0 loss to Rice in the first round. 

Elena Gutlove (Jackson) The Cleveland State senior earned two postseason honors for her play with the 6-4 Vikings’ women’s soccer team. Gutlove was named first-team All-Horizon League and followed that up on May 12 by being named to the United Soccer Coaches Division I All-North Region team. A transfer from Butler, she started all 10 games and had four goals and two assists. She had one game-winner and it was a golden goal in a 2-1 double-overtime victory over Wright State on Feb. 10. 

Quinton Heck (Central Catholic) The 6-1, 175-pound junior right-hander posted a 4-0 record pitching mainly in relief for the Merchant Marine Academy. The Mariners went 16-3 and won the Skyline Conference Championship with a 2-1 victory in 10 innings over Old Westbury on May 9. That earned the team an automatic bid to the Division III NCAA Tournament. Heck pitched an inning in the game and gave up a hit and no runs with a strikeout. In 12.2 innings, he has given up 11 hits and 7 runs with 10 strikeouts. 

Makenna Durieux (Perry) The sophomore right-hander closed out her season with the 31-22 Toledo softball team by helping the Rockets sweep three games from Akron, May 12-14. Durieux pitched a seven-inning complete game in a 2-1 victory in the middle game of the series, May 13. She gave up six hits, one hit and an earned run with a walk and three strikeouts. Durieux was the team’s No. 2 pitcher, going 4-5 record with a 3.66 ERA. In 67 innings, she gave up 89 hits and 49 runs, 35 earned with 20 walks and 39 strikeouts. 

Morgan Cole (Louisville) The Youngstown State sophomore won the 5,000 meters at the Horizon League Outdoor Track Championship, May 9 in Youngstown. Her time was 17:08.74. Cole finished fourth in the 10,000 with a personal-best 35:43.29. Her best time in the 5K came when she finished second at the Drake Relays, April 24, covering the distance in 17:02.95. Cole finished second in both the mile (5:02.95) and the 5K (17:29.00) at the Horizon Indoor Championship, Feb. 26-March 1. 

Peyton Howell (GlenOak) The Ohio Wesleyan sophomore won the high jump at the North Coast Athletic Conference Outdoor Track Championship, May 9 in Granville. She cleared 5-3.25. Howell finished fifth in the Rocket Invitational with a better effort – 5-4.25. She posted seven firsts, a third and the fifth in the high jump this spring and set a personal record (5-8.5) when she won the event in a dual meet against Denison on Feb. 27.

Trent Montgomery (Green) The 6-1, 170-pound sophomore right-hander worked in relief for the Catawba (N.C.) baseball team (32-9). The team is hoping for an at-large bid to the Division II NCAA Tournament. Montgomery pitched in 13 games out of the bullpen and was 2-0 with a save. In 16 innings, he gave up 18 hits and 15 runs, all earned, with three walks and 11 strikeouts. 

Alecia Hamilton (GlenOak) The sophomore was a key performer for the Wilson (Pa) softball team (24-5). Hamilton batted .397 (25-for-63) with three doubles, 16 runs and 10 RBIs. She also walked nine times and had at least one hit in 20 in the 28 games she played. She earned honorable mention All-CSAC .

Gino Sabatine (West Branch) The junior was named D3basball.com Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday after helping the 34-4 Marietta baseball team close the regular season with four victories over Mount Union last weekend. The 5-10, 181-pound right-hander was 2-0 in two games for the Pioneers, working nine innings and giving up six hits and an unearned run with four strikeouts. On the season, he is 8-0 with a 1.99 ERA. In 68 innings, he has given up 63 hits and 18 runs, 13 earned, with 14 walks and 51 strikeouts

Jared Weiss (Green) The senior is hitting .293 with 27 RBsI and had a walk-off two-run single in the 11th in Marietta's 3-2 win over the Raiders last Saturday. Marietta is ranked No. 7 in NCAA Division III.