Mohawk's Gottfried, NR's Piper to face off Monday

Two pitchers, two communities, one rivalry. On Monday, Mohawk and New Riegel will be taking to the field and it's likely to be a pitcher's duel between two juniors whose stories are still being written. "I said this in an interview a couple of years ago," Blue Jackets coach Tony Conner said. "These two are going to be battling it out for their high school years and being neck in neck with each other is kind of what I thought would happen." The Blue Jackets' Karsyn Piper and the Warriors Aubrey Gottfried have hit milestones over their three years, but they each achieved 500 strikeouts on March 30. Piper achieved hers against Clyde, while Gottfried attained hers during their win against Lakota. It's their career 500 strikeouts, and setting of school records that has set these two apart in their schools and respective leagues. "I don't even really know what to think when I hit it," Gottfried said. "I wasn't aware of it until they told me. Then I got really excited and happy about it. Playing against Karsyn is always tough; I just hope we come out on top. They have people that can hit, so can we." Piper broke NR's strikeout record for the most in a season in 2024, with 224 her freshman year. Gottfried broke the school record at Mohawk last season as a sophomore with 297. "I was really excited and it's a huge accomplishment," Piper said. "I wouldn't have been able to get that without them. I knew a little bit about it and it's not something that has happened here.but it was really cool." Both programs have a tradition of pride and excellence, and that's not likely to disappear anytime soon. Both schools have produced ace pitchers throughout their histories, but the story of these adjacent schools' ace pitchers is what gets the communities excited when they take to the field. Piper started at a really young age when it came to the game of softball. She played recreational league before moving onto travel ball that she plays during the winter and summer months. During the Fall, she plays volleyball for the Blue Jackets. Piper was thrown into pitching when she was younger, and learned to love the position. "I love having the ball in my hands," Piper said. "I love the sense of control when it comes to what is happening around me, and it forces me to have to rely on my team." The mental aspect of being in the pitcher's circle is something that Piper has found to be a challenge. "All the stress is on you," Piper admits. "But that is when you have to rely on the catcher behind the plate and those around you to make the right plays." Her pitch selection is what makes her one of the biggest impacts on the team, along with the trust that is built into the team. "Karsyn is a phenomenal player," Conner said. "She always does what she needs to do and put us into a position to be successful. As a coach, it's really all I can ask for. She puts in the effort all the time." Coming up against the Warriors, Piper acknowledges the battle up ahead. "We have to fight the pitches," Piper said. "We have to keep battling." The motivation for NR to win the game on Monday is a simple one: Mohawk ended the Blue Jackets season last year at District Finals and they want redemption. "We know we have to execute it," Conner said. "I know Coach Walton is going to have her girls ready to go as much as I will have mine ready to go. We are going to see who comes out on top and who wants it." When Gottfried started as pitcher her freshman year, Mohawk coach Mindy Walton knew that it would be a risk but it was a gamble that paid off. "I still think of her as this little freshman," Waltoon said. "I knew she was good then, but she has turned into this wonderful leader for us. She is always cheering for her teammates, and she has grown mentally, especially being able to strike out after a bad time at bat." Gottfried took to the mound at a young age, playing softball starting in second grade. When COVID hit, there wasn't any recreational ball to be played, Gottfried asked to be on a travel team. Her parents agreed to sign her up, and from there, she has been in love with the sport since. Most of the time, she pitches in travel ball, but sometimes will play first base. "It's always been my number one thing," Gottfried said. One of the best qualities Walton has noticed in Gotffried's growth over the three years has been the ability to handle herself in the pitcher's circle, as well as being able to recover quickly mentally and her quickness to learn new pitches. "If you aren't hitting the strike zone, you can't let other players see that," said Gottfried about the mental aspect of the position. "You can't let the other team see the frustration or otherwise, they will get into your head." Last season, when the Warriors faced NR in the regular season, Gottfried had 10 walks. She has gotten better on those, and a prime example was against the season Northern 10 Athletic conference opener against Wynford, where she made the Royals hitless, striking out 10 and only allowed seven walks. "Over the years that I have had her, she has grown as a player and a person," Coincidentally, Monday's game represents a unique reminder to NR that the conference they are coming into will be tougher than the one they leave behind. The Blue Jackets are current members of the Sandusky Bay Conference River Division, but decided to leave the SBC after this school year. "You can't have an off day in this league," Walton said. "As a school from the outside looking in, I hope NR realizes the level of competition they are coming into because it is a really tough conference to come into." Gottfried knows that Piper will present a challenge in the circle. "We know she throws a curveball and a rise," Gottfried said. "So we know that we will need to adjust to that. We also know that we need to jump on pitches early in the game because typically we try to get ahead." Laying off the change up set that both are known for will be another key. Gottfried's take about it being the last non conference game, it's not an easy one. "Obviously, we have some good teams coming into the conference like Calvert and NR," Gottfried said. "but I think their conference is a little easier than ours because they don't have as much competition, but I really hope that we can take them all the way. It could go either way."