It is no secret that the BGSU softball program would not be where it is without star right-handed pitcher Payton Gotshall.
The 17-9 Falcons have been willed forward this year by the redshirt Sophomore pitcher. They are on a roll right now, coming off a series sweep over rival Toledo Rockets, and have won five out of their last seven games.
Over the weekend series against the Rockets, Gotshall pitched in all three games with two starts. She amassed 16.2 innings and struck out 30 batters, nearly two per inning while also allowing just one total run the entire weekend.
This success isn’t new for the Massillon, Ohio native. As a true freshman in 2020, she pitched in all but one of the Falcons’ 17 games before COVID-19 shut the season down.
In 87 innings, she struck out 128 batters and racked up an ERA of 1.93.
As a “COVID-freshman” in 2021, she amassed a record of 20 wins and 12 losses, but the numbers are much better than her win-loss total. She pitched 201.2 innings, striking out 282 batters and surrendering just 67 walks in 33 appearances with 29 starts.
Out of those 29 starts, 25 of them were complete games including eight shutouts. The Falcons ultimately finished just 27-27 overall, but without her it would have been much worse.
This year, the results have somehow gotten even better. She has notched a record of 12-6 with a 1.37 ERA in 20 games with 15 starts. Her strikeout rate is up to 176 in 107.1 innings, while her walk total is down to 23 in 107.1 innings.
She currently leads the MAC in just about every single individual statistic, including wins, games, innings pitched, strikeouts and earned run average. It has been a remarkable year so far for her and the Falcons need her performance to continue if they want a shot at winning the MAC, where they are currently in fourth place.
All in all, Gosthall stands now at 73 games with a 46-24 record and a 1.73 ERA. She also has racked up 633 strikeouts in 429 innings while walking just 133 batters.
While some pitchers have nearly the same hits allowed as total strikeouts, Gotshall does not, as she sits at over 2.5 strikeouts to hits and a 5/1 strikeout to walk ratio.
Gotshall is the best pitcher in the Mid-American Conference and coach Sarah Willis has the confidence in her to pitch nearly every game.
Despite the Falcons having some experienced and talented arms in Kiara Hurley and Hannah Davies, Gotshall pitches in about 80% of the Falcons games. It is a fair assessment to say that the Falcons can go as far as Gotshall’s right arm can take them.
With improved hitting and defense, BGSU has been much better this year as a team. They have the conference’s best overall record, and only sit a game and a half out of first place behind Central Michigan, as well as Miami.
They head to Miami next week for a series against the RedHawks in Oxford. The three-game series kicks off on Tuesday with a single game and then a doubleheader on Wednesday, in which Gotshall should see time in all three games.
For more information on upcoming series, visit bgsufalcons.com.
