When she was initially choosing colleges, Mariah Fritz chose Coe over Central.  When she decided to transfer to Pella after her freshman year in Cedar Rapids, she wasn’t sure she wanted to play softball anymore.  Four years later, Fritz’s ride culminated with being selected as Central’s Female Athlete of the Year at Sunday’s Dutchies.

Fritz struggled with confidence throughout the early part of her career, but credits Central College and the softball program with helping to transform her into the person she is today.

“I’m in P.A. school right now and I think being a part of the Central softball program helped me be confident in my P.A. interview and getting into that cohort class for this year.  Overall I’ve become more confident in myself and my abilities and who I am as a person because of Central softball.”

With a pitching staff short on numbers, the 2019 Dutch rode Fritz’s right arm to produce a dramatic late-season surge for a conference title and NCAA tournament berth. She was tabbed as the league pitcher of the year and an all-region selection with a 20-9 record, two saves, and all 12 of Central’s conference wins. She was the American Rivers nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award.

The other nominees for the Female Athlete of the Year at the Dutchies were record-setting women’s basketball captain Kendall Brown, ARC indoor pentathlon champion Mary Gray, and women’s golf team-MVP Emily Opsal.