Pair of Division I transfers emerging as leaders for Gaston College softball

On a softball roster filled almost completely with newcomers, two sophomore transfers from the Division I level figure to emerge as leaders for a youthful Gaston College Rhinos team.

Jailyn Tineo comes to the program from North Carolina A&T University, and Asheton Queen joins the Rhinos after transferring from Gardner-Webb University. Tineo should be a mainstay at catcher, and Queen will anchor the infield at shortstop.

The Rhinos opened their fall exhibition schedule Sept 24 at Gastonia's Martha Rivers Park with a full roster for the first time. Last season, Gaston College fielded a club team that went 4-16.

There will be no shortage of depth like last year's startup season, but with 14 freshmen in the program, the Rhinos will be a work in progress. That's where Tineo and Queen come in.

"We know that we are going to be among the leaders," said Queen, a Belmont native who played high school softball at South Point and twice earned all-conference honors.

At the same time, both players know that it will be a learning process for the newcomers, the few experienced players, and the coaching staff.

"Considering that most of the team is comprised of freshmen, it is going to take everybody learning off each other in order to be successful," said Tineo. "After all, we only have one year under our belts ourselves. It's not like we are veterans or something. So, it will take the help of the coaching staff and good chemistry between all the girls for us to go far."

Through the course of fall drills and now the launching of the exhibition season, team camaraderie seems to be developing nicely.

"The chemistry is meshing faster than what I thought, even faster than what the coaches thought," Queen said. "I think we are going to do a lot better than what everybody is expecting of us."

In surveying his roster, head coach Mike Steuerwald sees Tineo and Queen as key pieces on offense and defense.

"Jailyn will be a big piece of our lineup on both sides of the ball," Steuerwald said. "She is a great piece to our battery and brings a lot of steadiness to our pitching staff. Her bat is going to be in the middle of our lineup, and she will need to be a big contributor for us to perform."

During her freshman season at North Carolina A&T, Tineo batted .266 with two home runs and 22 RBIs in 38 games played.

According to Steuerwald, Queen "brings a lot of energy and a high softball IQ to the field. She will also be a table-setter for our offense and someone we are going to need to get on base to have some big days on the offensive side."

Queen and Tineo took slightly different routes to arrive at Gaston College. As for Queen, the South Point product decided to look at other options after a coaching change was made at Gardner-Webb following her freshman season in 2022.

Queen already knew an assistant coach on the Rhinos coach staff – Lani Ries. When Ries was on the Gardner-Webb staff before joining the Gaston College program, she recruited Queen.

"I started talking to Coach Stu (Steuerwald) at some point and decided this was the best place for me," Queen said.

In Tineo's case, she learned from a teammate that Gaston College was starting a softball program. The Waxhaw native and former Marvin Ridge standout knew she wanted a change, so she began to do some research and to reach out to the Rhinos coaches.

"Gaston pretty much checked all of my boxes," Tineo said. "It's close to home, and I can fulfill my degree requirements and transfer to a four-year school."

Both players say the adjustment to a new school and a new softball program has gone smoothly.

"The instructors here are very helpful. They try to get to know you and everything," said Queen, a business major at Gaston College.

Tineo, who is completing requirements for an associate degree in science, said she has relied on the college's academic support arms.

"The learning center gets half my time," Tineo said. "And the math center has been super helpful."

The task for student athletes is to find a balance between academics and athletics.

"Everything that is comprised of being a student athlete is super important," Tineo said. "In the fall, you have to get your grades up now because you know the spring is going to come and you don't want to have those sleepless nights."