Centerville grad etching name all over Dayton softball record book

• She has a record 248 career hits. Gabrielle Snyder set the previous mark of 222 in 2017.

• She has scored 140 runs, breaking a mark of 138 set by Molly Meyer in 2010.

• She leads the program with 96 stolen bases, breaking the mark of 85 set by Emily Daniel in 2024.

• She has 11 career triples, which ties her with Kerry White (1999-02) and Jean Eyerman (1985-88).

Schutter, a Centerville High School graduate, will add to all those marks with six games left in the regular season, plus whatever postseason games follow.

“It means a lot,” Schutter said Monday. “I really appreciate the trust that my coaches and my teammates have in me to put me out there for all the games that they have, beginning in my freshman year. Those things don’t happen in an instant. They kind of happen over time.”

Schutter credited her coaches for supporting her on and off the field.

“I definitely don’t think I’d be able to have the consistency I’ve had without them believing in me as a whole person,” she said. “I think more specifically as a player, I was a bit more about the short game earlier in my career. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve worked on my power, increasing my extra-base hits and RBIs.”

Schutter became the second Dayton softball player to win the Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Year in 2022. She was the A-10 Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2023. As a junior last season, she was named the A-10 Defensive Player of the Year. She led the team in hits (59) and was one of three players to start all 54 games, helping lead the Flyers to their first NCAA tournament berth.

Schutter hopes for similar success this season. Dayton (20-14, 10-4) sits alone in first place in the A-10 entering a three-game series at home this weekend against Fordham.

Schutter ranks fourth in the A-10 in hitting (.385). She’s fifth in runs scored (33) and tied for third in stolen bases (18).

“I think it’s going well,” Schutter said. “We have a really good foundation. Looking back at last season, obviously, we were very successful. We had a bunch of new freshmen coming in and a lot of foundational players still around. I think building off of what we did last year, and then continuing that this year, it’s been working in our favor. We’re heading into the latter part of our season, and we’re excited to see where it takes us.”

Schutter excels off the field as well. She won The Presidential Outstanding Scholar-Athlete Award this week. Dayton coach Cara Clark filmed a video message for Schutter after that award was announced.

“You continue to set new marks in both single-season records and career records in a number of categories,” Clark said. “On top of that, you are an incredible teammate and incredibly coachable. You’re an outstanding representative of our program, of the university and of our athletic department.”