No. 16 Gaston College wins Region 10 championship again

Gaston College is Region 10 softball champions again.

The No. 16-ranked Rhinos defeated Monroe University of New York 6-1 on Saturday at Tyger River Park in Duncan, S.C.

Gaston College has now won the Region 10 championship in three of its four years as a program - in 2023, 2025 and 2026.

"Winning never gets old," Rhinos coach Michael Steuerwald said. "It's so much hard work and this team has done a lot to put themselves in a position to win the Region again."

Gaston College is now to 58-4 overall and extended its winning streak to 21 while also improving its record to 10-0 in neutral site games.

The Rhinos next play in the May 12-13 Mid-Atlantic District tournament that sends its winner to the 2026 NJCAA World Series. The winner of next weekend's Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association Region 17 tournament at Georgia Highlands will host the best-of-three district tournament.

The Georgia Military Bulldogs, who Gaston College beat two games to none in last year's Mid-Atlantic district title at Gastonia's CaroMont Health Park, are the Region 17 regular season champions.

In Saturday's Region 10 championship game, freshman Aidan Ledbetter picked up her third win of the tournament with 4 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Ledbetter retired 11 of the 14 batters she faced with five strikeouts while yielding two hits and one walk. She finished the weekend with 18 strikeouts in 15 2/3 scoreless innings and was named tournament Most Valuable Player.

"From her end, it's such a great confidence-builder," Steuerwald said of Ledbetter. "And for our team, it was a great to see our group steadily climb after Thursday. After those first two innings on Thursday, we played really good softball."

Gaston College's offense scored two runs each in the first, second and fourth innings and was led by Savanna Mullins (2 hits, triple, 2 RBIs), Mary Hinson (1 hit, 2 RBIs) and Jalyn Kopp (RBI single).

Ledbetter was joined on the Region 10 championship all-tournament team by teammates Mullins, Hinson, Adah Bruining, McKenna Jones and Katelyn Brandon.

The Region 10 tournament results and schedule at Tyger River Park in Duncan SC:

(Thursday, April 30)
Game 1- No. 4 USC Union vs. No. 5 USC Sumter - USC Union 2-0
Game 2- No. 3 Monroe NY vs. No. 6 USC Salkehatchie - Monroe NY 12-4 in 5
Game 3- No. 1 Gaston College vs. USC Union - Gaston College 6-5 in 9
Game 4- No. 2 Florence Darlington Tech vs. Monroe NY - Monroe NY 8-4

(Friday, May 1)
Game 5- USC Sumter vs. Florence Darlington Tech - Florence Darlington Tech 4-2
Game 6- USC Salkehatchie vs. USC Union - USC Union 4-0
Game 7- Gaston College vs. Monroe NY - Gaston College 2-0
Game 8- Florence Darlington Tech vs. USC Union - Florence Darlington Tech 6-1

(Saturday, May 2)
Game 9- Monroe NY vs. Florence Darlington Tech - Monroe NY 5-3
Game 10- Gaston College vs. Monroe NY - Gaston College 6-1