Pequot Lakes Alum Kaitlyn Geschwill Powering CLC Softball’s Hot Start

Now about a month into the season, Central Lakes College softball is off to a 9-5 start overall, with a 2-0 record in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference. They’re trying to build off last season’s successful run to the region championship, and it’s a familiar face from the Brainerd Lakes Area that is leading the charge.

CLC has the best team ERA in the conferance at 2.71, thanks in large part to Pequot Lakes High School softball’s all-time strikeout leader Kaitlyn Geschwill.

“When she gets in the circle, she has a refuse to lose,” Head Coach Ray Austin said. “I saw that all the way back her senior year in high school. They had to beat Pierz twice to go to state and she just wasn’t going to lose that day.”

“Her speed is leading this conference by far,” stated Central Lakes College Softball Freshman Catcher and Utility Fielder Cali Cross. “Her movement, her rise balls, her change-ups, you just don’t know what’s coming.”

Last year as a freshman, Geschwill burst onto the Division III softball scene, impacting the game both from the hill and at the plate. She earned MCAC Player of The Year honors while becoming the first CLC Raider to earn NJCAA All-American Second Team honors as an infielder since 2016.

“[I’m] just kind of always being aggressive,” said Geschwill, a sophomore pitcher, infielder, and outfielder. “In high school, my approach was to be not as aggressive. I tried to go for walks rather than hits. But this year, I’m just attacking it now, and it seems to be a better approach than what I have been doing in the past. So I just keep going with that.”

14 games into the 2025 campaign, Geschwill has a 6-3 record and a 1.66 ERA while sporting a batting average of .429 and a 1.119 on-base plus slugging percentage. With that, she’s been setting the standard for Raiders softball.

“It’s nice to know that if she gets on, there’s people to hit around her,” said freshman pitcher, infielder, and outfielder Morgan Kloss. “If I get on, I know that I’m going to get moved around somehow. And so it’s just nice to know that, we’re not going to leave them hanging out there.”

And as the Pequot Lakes native continues to surge, Raiders softball continues to follow suit. The team’s excelling in every aspect with a team batting average three points shy of .300 and has a team field percentage of .942. But the 2024 Region 13B runner-ups know there’s more work to be done to achieve the ultimate goal.

“Last year, we were short by one game,” Geschwill said. “And I just know this year, we’re going to want it. Especially the returning players, especially me, we want it.”

“Consistency and the girls keeping their swagger the whole year,” Austin added. “I think the sky’s the limit for this group.”

Following the 2025 season, Geschwill will be continuing her collegiate softball career at the Division II level at Black Hill State University in South Dakota.