Cascade pitcher Payton Gottshall is no stranger to getting a start in the circle, but on Monday night, she threw out the first pitch in a different setting – and overhand.
Gottshall, a native of Massillon, Ohio, threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Cleveland Guardians game vs the Houston Astros. Gottshall is a pitcher for the Athletes Unlimited Softball league Expansion franchise, the Portland Cascade.
She will enter her third year in the pros this summer. Gottshall was a two-year letter winner at the University of Tennessee after playing three seasons at Bowling Green, where she was the 2022 MAC Pitcher of the Year.
Gottshall played for the Texas Volts last season and was selected by the Cascade in the league’s Expansion Draft.
Gottshall and the Cascade will open up the season on June 9 in Durham, North Carolina, to face the Carolina Blaze for a three-game series. Tickets are on sale now.