Outstanding Class of 2026 pitcher Emerson Gunkel has been a shining light in the high school and club softball for several years in the Sunshine State.

She’s been a six-year starter and standout at the high school level going back to 2022 when she led the state of Florida for best ERA (0.48) at all classifications and setting the Montverde (Fla.) Academy school record with that microscopic mark.

For her career, Emerson has a stellar 1.29 ERA and last year led the Eagles to a Florida 3A State championship.

Her achievements on the club level are equally impressive as her resume includes making the 18U All-Tournament Team for the Alliance Nationals (Tier III) and also playing for Team Netherlands 18U in the TC International Challenge in Colorado.

Emerson played at Montverde Academy from the 7th through the 11th grade seasons before transferring to The First Academy in Orlando for her senior campaign.

On the travel ball side, she competed for the Florida Bombers Gold squad for several years before joining Tampa Mustangs – Bell prior to this past (2025) summer season.

This fall, the Class of 2026 grad pulled the trigger in committing to play softball at Bryant University, a highly respected private school of about 3,750 students in Smithfield, Rhode Island that U.S. News & World Report ranks No. 5 in the category of Regional Universities (North).

The university is also more than 1,200 miles up the East coast via the I-95 freeway and you can expect that Emerson’s winters in the Northeast will be a wee bit different from what she’s grown up with in the Sunshine State!

The school’s softball team plays in the America East Conference, a Division I conference it joined in 2022 which includes schools primarily in the Northeast including:

• Binghamton,
• University of Maryland, Baltimore County,
• the University of Albany,
• UMass – Lowell,
• Maine,
• Vermont, and
• New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT).

The senior, who wants to go into Pre-Law, committed to the Bryant Bulldogs this fall and is excited to be a Bulldog, as she shares in this exclusive first-person account of how she made her decision where to play college softball…

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My Recruiting Process… by Emerson Gunkel (Class of 2026)

There were many things about my recruiting process that were unexpected but incredibly exciting.

I had always imagined staying close to home for college since I grew up in Orlando, Florida, surrounded by heat, humidity, and family. All the college softball camps I attended growing up were in the Southeast, and most of the college coaches I spoke with about my potential interest were also from that region.

I thought I would play somewhere in the Southeast, maybe as far north as the Carolinas, but I never imagined myself playing in the Northeast! And the idea of leaving home for four years had always felt scary.

I was not an early recruit, and I did not commit during my junior year like many of the girls around me.

The recruiting process can be very stressful with the continued communication to coaches with schedule and stats, attending camps and the daunting travel ball schedule with the need to perform constantly at the highest level knowing that coaches are watching.

I remained patient and trusted God’s plan, knowing that the right opportunity would come at the right time. Throughout the recruiting process, I was less concerned about the level of softball I would play and more focused on finding a place where I would feel truly at home—a school that I loved in every way and and where I would get an opportunity to play.

I knew that the environment, the people, and the opportunities available would matter more than simply playing Division I softball.

That is the one thing that I would stress to anyone going through the recruiting process: it doesn’t have to be a “Division I or nothing” mentality.

Going Division II, III, NAIA or to a Junior College is a success at the end of a journey if you feel connected to the coaches, love the teammates and can see yourself on that school’s campus.

Everything changed for me when I received a call from Coach Bianka (Bell), the Head Coach at Bryant University.

This past summer, after joining Tampa Mustangs, I had more exposure to colleges than ever before and Coach Bianka came to watch several of my games in a row.

After the summer ended, she called me and made me an offer which was both exciting and surreal. A former travel ball teammate, Arriana Williams, is a freshman this year at Bryant, and a current travel teammate, Sarai Nicholas, in my recruiting class is also committed there. We all talked about Bryant and how much fun we would have if we were all there together!

When I visited campus, I immediately felt a connection.

Walking through the beautiful campus, meeting the welcoming and kind girls on the team, and seeing the very athletic-focused environment made it clear that Bryant was the perfect fit for me.

I spent time exploring the Law program, which truly interests me, and imagining myself in classrooms where I could grow and learn.

Sitting in my hotel at the end of the visit, I realized that this was a place where I could thrive academically, athletically, and personally. Throughout this process, I was unsure of exactly what level of softball I would play, and many people doubted that I could reach Division 1.

However, my persistence, work ethic, and belief in myself allowed me to achieve what I once thought was out of reach.

Committing to Bryant was about more than simply choosing a school to play softball—it was about choosing a place where I could grow, be challenged, and be surrounded by people who inspire and support me.

Most importantly, it was about trusting that God’s plan for me was greater than anything I could imagine and having the patience to wait for the perfect fit. Bryant University is that perfect fit, and I could not be more excited to begin this next chapter of my life!

My biggest advice would be to be patient, always love the game, find the coach(es) that you connect with and trust in God that He will lead you to school that will continue your softball journey.