The pressure of playing college softball was starting to get to Peja Goold.
So the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga sophomore did the only thing she knew she could do: Goold let go and let God.
The results have been pretty solid this season for Goold, whose selection as the Southern Conference pitcher of the year was announced by the league on Tuesday. She is UTC’s 11th such honoree but the first since Celie Hudson in 2019.
By both starting and finishing games, the 5-foot-7 right-hander from Stockton, California, has proven to be the most versatile pitcher in the conference this season, all while helping the Mocs (38-13) win their first SoCon regular-season championship since 2015. Goold, also named the SoCon pitcher of the month for April, went 8-3 with three saves during the regular season, striking out 86 batters while walking 46 and posting a 3.05 ERA in 85 innings.
Despite all of that, Goold wasn’t enjoying the success. She’d have a good outing and felt little to no joy, consumed with perfection more than getting the job done for the Mocs.