Gaston College softball looks to have deeper pitching staff in 2024 led by NCAA Division I transfer

A year ago in its first full season of National Junior College Athletic Association softball, Gaston College had a feisty group of 14 players scrap and claw their way to an impressive 43-10 overall record, Region 10 and Mid-Atlantic district titles and an appearance in the World Series.

For an encore, Rhinos coach Mike Steuerwald will have a larger roster and a deeper pitching staff that is expected to be led by a NCAA Division I transfer.

After facing NCAA Division I opponents Winthrop and Queens to open its fall schedule, Gaston College resumes fall games on Friday at 4 p.m. at Belmont Abbey to begin a stretch of four straight games against NCAA Division II schools.

"I think we're in a really good spot because we've competed," Steuerwald said of the first two fall exhibition scrimmages. "We've played all of our players, played at a high level and, from my perspective, the best thing is that there's still room for improvement."

That's particularly true of the Rhinos' pitching staff, which used all six pitchers on its roster in the first two games and yielded only three earned runs in 19 innings against NCAA Division I opposition.

"I think we're a lot deeper this year, top to bottom, at multiple positions, but especially in the circle," Steuerwald said.

A year ago, 11 of the 14 players on the roster played 31 or more games with three players handling all of the pitching duties.

This season, Steuerwald projects Wisconsin-Green Bay transfer Abigail Gawlinski and freshman Abigail Brewton as his top two pitchers with strong support from sophomore returnee Tessa Hunt and freshmen Emma Ghorley, Emily Pruett and Phoebe Cole.

"I think it's going to be healthy competition and I think it'll be nice to have a full staff of pitchers," Gawlinski said.

Gawlinski returns to action after missing the entire 2023 season after needing ankle reconstruction surgery; She earned Horizon League All-Freshman honors in 2022 after going 9-6 with a 3.04 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 83 innings and 20 appearances (16 starts).

Soon after suffering the season-ending injury, Gawlinski entered the transfer portal seeking a winning program.

She got a tip from her longtime pitching coach Shelby Dalton of Chicago that Gaston College might be a good fit.

Dalton knew Steuerwald from his days as a coach for the Chicago Bandits of the National Professional Fastpitch (NPF) League.

"My pitching coach worked with coach Stu when she was with the Bandits in Chicago," Gawlinski said. "Coach Stu has a really good reputation as a coach and I thought he would give me the best opportunity to get better as a pitcher."

Additionally, the Rhinos were super successful a year ago.

"I also was looking for a winning program when I decided I wanted to transfer to another school," Gawlinski said. "And, obviously, this program has a really good reputation since they made the World Series in their first year."