2023-24 REVIEW: Softball wins another regular season title, gets first-ever votes in national poll
After its first official team advanced to the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series in 2023, Gaston College's softball team entered the 2024 season with high expectations.
After going 49-9 overall and drawing the school's first mention in the NJCAA poll, coach Mike Steuerwald's program clearly enjoyed more success even as it finished the year with a disappointing loss to Florence Darlington Tech in the Region 10 championship game.
"I told the team that in postgame talk after that last game," Steuerwald said. "I just wanted to thank them because they fulfilled what we talk about as a program.
"And that's leaving things better than you find them. Whether it's a dugout after a game or the field and things like that. I told that group that they left this program better than what they when they came here.
"They were 92-19 over two years with two regular season titles and a World Series berth. That's an incredible run. The challenge for the freshman next year is that they've got a really, really high bar of expectation."
The Rhinos' 18-2 start included a 15-game winning streak that garnered votes in the NJCAA poll for the first time on Feb. 26; Gaston College received votes in eight more polls including the final one of the season.
Gaston College gained national and regional respect by splitting a pair of doubleheaders against Division II national power Louisburg, including an 11-9 come-from-behind road win in eight innings late in the season.
The Rhinos would eventually win a second straight Region 10 regular season title with a 14-2 record before finishing as tourney runner-up to second-place Florence-Darlington Tech - or the team that handed Gaston College its only four defeats against Region 10 Division I competition all season.
At season's end, seven Gaston College softball players were honored on the All-Region 10 team - Abigail Brewton (pitcher), Grace Kealy (infield), Gabrielle Porterfield (outfield) and Emma Ghorley (utility) were named to the first team with Skye Harrington (catcher), Alayna Patrick (infield) and Kendall Bradshaw (outfield) named to the second team.
Later, three Rhinos were named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) 2024 All-South team - Alayna Patrick (second base) was a first team selection and Abigail Brewton (pitcher) and Grace Kealy (third baseman) were second team selections. Kealy also was named NFCA All-American as an "At-Large third baseman" second team selection.
Porterfield finished her two-year career as the school's all-time leader in hits (130) and stolen bases (73).
Kealy, in her first season, became the school's career leader in home runs (17) and RBIs (84).
And Brewton and Abigail Gawlinski pitched the first two perfect games in program history in victories over Patrick & Henry Community College and USC Sumter, respectively.
Steuerwald had high praise for the six-player sophomore class which frequently watched the talented freshman play last spring.
"That sophomore group was so special because the freshman group was incredibly talented and played a lot this season," Steuerwald said. "I think our sophomores handled that extremely well.
"We went from 12 healthy bodies on our roster with everybody knowing they were playing last year to 18 players on the roster this year and all 18 being fully capable to be in the lineup.
"So it's a big compliment to that group of sophomores and how they handled their roles and contributed and showed leadership to the freshman."
With 16 players expected back from this year's team, Steuerwald already has high hopes for the 2025 team.
"From our end, we've got to keep building," Steuerwald said. "I feel good about the group we have coming back and we're going to work to bring in some more talented players that can get us to that next level.
"We're not happy about how this year ended, obviously. But we weren't happy about last year either. We want to win the World Series. We don't want to just get there."