AUSL

Payton Gottshall

University of Tennessee, Knoxville '24

Hometown: Massillon, Ohio

Four-time All-Conference

Personal: Gottshall is the daughter of Mike and Holly Gottshall. She has one older brother named Josh. Lebron James is her favorite athlete. Her parents are her biggest influences. She also played tennis in high school. She has two dogs named Lala and Lola. She names former Bowling Green Head Softball Coach, Sarah Willis, as a person who has made a difference in her life. She also participated in dancing, tennis, basketball, swimming, and gymnastics as a child. Gottshall enjoys watching the TV show Bridgerton, along with knitting blankets, painting, and traveling. She also likes to cook and bake.

2024 Championship Season: Gottshall finished her first Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball Championship Season with 968 leaderboard points, including 820 win points. She appeared in six games with three starts, posting a 3.57 earned run average and a 0-1 record. Over the course of 15.2 innings, Gottshall recorded 10 strikeouts. Her best performance came on August 11 against Team Lorenz, where she earned MVP 2 distinction after allowing just four hits over 3.2 innings, with three strikeouts. Gottshall set her season-high with three strikeouts during a relief appearance on August 3 against Team Lorenz. She accumulated 100 or more leaderboard points in six games throughout the season.


2024 AUX Season: Gottshall accumulated 896 leaderboard points in her first professional season, including 790 win points. She emerged as one of the top relief pitchers in the league after setting Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball AUX single-season record with three saves. Gottshall appeared in eight games in the circle with one start and authored a 4.30 earned run average with eight strikeouts over 14.2 innings. She claimed MVP 3 honors after notching her first professional save against Team Warren on June 10, allowing just one hit over the final 3.0 innings with one strikeout. Gottshall secured her second save of the campaign against Team Alo on June 17 with a season-high two strikeouts. She also notched a save on June 22 against Team Mazon after allowing just one hit in 3.0 innings. Gottshall was one of the 15 players selected in the 2024 Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball College Draft.


International Experience: Gottshall helped Team Israel post a 3-4 record at the 2023 Canada Cup.

College Experience: Gottshall is a two-year letter winner at Tennessee after playing three seasons at Bowling Green. She appeared in 156 career games with 116 starts and authored a 1.70 career earned run average with 1,078 strikeouts over 799.2 innings. She posted a 94-37 career record with 10 saves, including three seasons with 20 or more victories. Gottshall is a four-time All-Conference selection, including First-Team All-Southeastern Conference status as a graduate student. She also garnered First-Team All-Mid-American Conference accolades as a sophomore and junior at Bowling Green. Gottshall claimed First-Team All-America honors from Softball America after leading Tennessee to the 2024 SEC regular season title. She also received a Second-Team All-America certificate from D1Softball and was a member of the 2024 NFCA All-Southeast Region First Team. 


As a graduate student, she compiled a 20-5 record with a 1.37 earned run average and fashioned 164 strikeouts over 147.2 innings for the Lady Vols while notching eight complete games and three shutouts. She registered a season-high 10 strikeouts against Missouri in a complete game victory on March 16, 2024, and posted nine strikeouts, including the 1,000th of her college career, against Western Carolina on March 21, 2024. Gottshall guided Tennessee to an NCAA Women’s College World Series berth as a senior in 2023 after accumulating a 16-2 record over 29 appearances, including 19 starts. She ended the season with a 1.65 earned run average and 130 strikeouts over 110 innings, registering three shutouts with five complete games, and recorded a save against Alabama in the NCAA Women’s College World Series. She also threw a complete game shutout in the NCAA Super Regionals victory against Texas and tossed a no-hitter against Northern Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament with nine strikeouts. Gottshall also teamed up with Nicola Simpson to throw a no-hitter against Mercer on April 6, 2023. 


She posted a 1.78 earned run average with a 58-30 record over three seasons at Bowling Green and ranks second on the Falcons’ career wins list. Gottshall is a three-time First-Team All-Mid-American Conference honoree who tallied a school-record 784 strikeouts over 542.0 innings with the Falcons while adding 63 complete games and 19 shutouts. She was honored as the 2022 MAC Pitcher of the Year after ranking second in the nation with a school-record 374 strikeouts and 253.1 innings pitched. She also matched the program's single-season standard with 27 victories during her final season at Bowling Green. Gottshall registered a five-inning perfect game against Akron on April 24, 2022, with five strikeouts and authored a no-hitter against Buffalo on April 10, 2022, with nine strikeouts. She set career highs with 14.0 innings pitched and 23 strikeouts against Buffalo on April 9, 2022. She struck out all 15 hitters in a five-inning perfect game against Green Bay on March 5, 2022. 


Gottshall was tabbed the 2021 MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year after posting a 20-12 record with a 1.87 earned run average, becoming the first Bowling Green hurler with 20 or more wins in a season since 1995. She ranked sixth in NCAA Division I with 282 strikeouts while earning First-Team All-MAC plaudits for the second straight season. Gottshall earned a starting assignment in 29-of-33 outings and finished with a 1.87 earned run average, striking out 16 batters during a perfect game performance against Cleveland State on February 13, 2021, and opening the campaign with 20 strikeouts against Cleveland State on February 12, 2021. She started her college career during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, earning an 11-5 record with a 1.93 earned run average. Gottshall led the MAC in victories while ranking second in the league with 128 strikeouts in 87.0 innings. She struck out 17 hitters and allowed one hit in her college debut against Tennessee Tech on February 14, 2020.

Headshot of Payton Gottshall

Career Stats

Year
W-L
ERA
APP
GS
CG
SHO
SV
IP
H
R
ER
HR
BB
HP
SO
NP
B
S
WP
B/AVG
2024 Championship*
0-1
3.57
6
3
-
-
-
15.2
16
8
8
3
6
1
10
286
105
181
-
.271
2024 AUX Softball
0-0
4.30
8
1
-
-
3
14.2
16
10
9
4
-
-
8
175
51
124
-
.267
Career Totals
0-1
3.92
14
4
-
-
3
30.1
32
18
17
7
6
1
18
461
156
305
-
.269

*The AUSL All-Star Cup was known as the Championship season through 2024.

Game Log

Date
Home Team
Away Team
W-L
ERA
APP
CG
SHO
SV
IP
H
R
ER
HR
BB
HP
SO
NP
B
S
WP
B/AVG
8/25/24
Team LorenzTeam Corrick
0-0
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8/24/24
Team LorenzTeam Ocasio
0-0
10.50
1
-
-
-
2.2
3
4
4
1
1
-
1
52
20
32
-
.300
8/23/24
Team KilfoylTeam Lorenz
0-0
-
1
-
-
-
1.0
2
-
-
-
-
-
1
17
6
11
-
.500
8/17/24
Team PalaciosTeam Faraimo
0-0
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8/16/24
Team FaraimoTeam Lorenz
0-1
7.00
1
-
-
-
3.0
6
3
3
1
1
-
2
53
19
34
-
.429
8/12/24
Team KilfoylTeam McQuillin
0-0
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8/11/24
Team LorenzTeam Kilfoyl
0-0
-
1
-
-
-
3.2
4
-
-
-
3
-
3
89
35
54
-
.286
8/10/24
Team KilfoylTeam Palacios
0-0
3.00
1
-
-
-
2.1
1
1
1
1
-
1
-
28
7
21
-
.125
8/4/24
Team KilfoylTeam McQuillin
0-0
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8/3/24
Team KilfoylTeam Lorenz
0-0
-
1
-
-
-
3.0
-
-
-
-
1
-
3
47
18
29
-
-
8/2/24
Team WallaceTeam Kilfoyl
0-0
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7/28/24
Team SvekisTeam Romero
0-0
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7/26/24
Team RomeroTeam Alexander
0-0
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

*The AUSL All-Star Cup was known as the Championship season through 2024.

Highlights

AUSL This is Legendary Pre-Season Tour Stops in Chicago, Oklahoma This Week

The Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) This is Legendary Pre-Season Tour is stopping in Chicago and Oklahoma this week. The pre-season tour allows fans to learn more about the AUSL and engage with professional softball players at community events. On April 18, Volts pitcher Payton Gottshall and Bandits catcher Jordan Roberts will be at the […]

Read More
This is Legendary Pre-Season Tour with Welcome to Chicago and Oklahoma postcards

Awards & Honors

Four-time All-Conference
2024 NFCA All-Southeast Region First Team
2022 MAC Pitcher of the Year
2021 MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year
Three-time First-Team All-Mid-American Conference

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ICYMI: our ‘Kim-missioner’ was booked and busy hand delivering Golden Tickets this week! 

these three athletes join Emma Lemley as Golden Ticket recipients and will be drafted to one of the four AUSL teams during the 2025 AUSL College Draft show on ESPNU on May 3rd 🥎 

#AUSL
final stop of the Chicago tour? a trip to the friendly confines 🏟️

thanks for hosting us, @cubs! 

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@gatorssb x #AUSL
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@daniellegibsonwhorton 🤝 @bri.ellis 

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the third golden ticket goes to @razorbacksb infielder, @bri.ellis! WHOOO PIG!

#AUSL
first pitch? ✅
chicago-style hot dogs acquired? ✅

shout out to the @whitesox for having us yesterday! 

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have yourself a day, @anagold4 👏 

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“Another dream come true.” - @juliegoldhomes 

this reaction from @anagold4’s family is everything 🥹

#AUSL
a GOLD-en Ticket Moment in Durham ✨

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#AUSL x @ausl_volts
starting off the Chicago tour with some fun, and with t-shirts 🤗

thanks for having us yesterday, @nusbcats! 

#AUSL
another tour stop down! ✅

we can't wait to play in Salt Lake City this summer!

#AUSL
📍 Drysdale Field

@p.gott and @jojo_beans14 are signing autographs at today’s @nusbcats game!
a big day for Kim Ng and softball fans alike 🤝

swipe to see all the support Kim has received today after being named Commissioner of the AUSL!

#AUSL
Erika. Stelli. Italian Stallion. Stelliana. Bombbbs. 💣 

#AUSL