Division I-bound Holton athlete excels everywhere, embraces ‘tomboy’ lifestyle – MLive.com

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When Matt Houseman calls Kylie Gould a “redneck,” it’s sincerely intended as a term of endearment.

Gould is the type that probably doesn’t mind. The Holton High School junior is outdoorsy and blue collar all the way, the daughter of a logger and little sister to two older brothers who showed her those ways.

Really, Gould is the complete package: 4.0 student and multi-sport standout, who is already committed to Central Michigan University for softball.

“She’s a tough kid. Hunt, fish … she does all that stuff. Four-wheeling, Razoring, snowmobiling – that’s their gig,” Houseman said about his Top Prospects travel softball player and her family.

“She’s a redneck, man. Her dad has become one of my best friends since she started playing for us. We just love their family. They are hard-working and I think that’s what’s led to her work ethic.”

In going on to CMU, Gould will become of the rare athletes from Holton to play a Division I sport. The last one is volleyball star Amy DeLong, who played collegiately for New Orleans and Toledo in the 1990s.

Gould was Division 4 all-state honorable mention as a pitcher during her freshman season, then she made first-team all-state last year as a sophomore.

Gould exhibited her all-around softball talent in 2019 for the state quarterfinalist Red Devils, batting .526 with a 1.568 OPS, 17 doubles, two triples and 11 home runs. The right-handed ace fashioned a 20-3 pitching record with two saves and 1.88 ERA to go with 184 strikeouts. She was named to the MLive Muskegon Chronicle Dream Team as a utility player.

“I grew up with two older brothers (Brodey and Mackire), so it’s a little more outside and stuff like that. That definitely came into play when I was learning new hobbies, like they’d take me hunting and fishing all the time, so that definitely was a factor growing up,” said Gould, the daughter of Ken and Tammy Gould.

“The softball aspect of it, I loved being outside and I loved to be active. I think that definitely helped me fall in love with it.”

Gould pitches and plays first base for her Top Prospects team. Holton softball coach Kirk Younts said she projects at first base for CMU, although with the Red Devils she could play just about anywhere.

The 5-foot-7, physically strong Gould is the type who seems to excel at everything. For instance, she gave up basketball in order to focus on her offseason softball workouts and to give bowling a shot. All she was earn all-conference honors in bowling last winter and qualify for the state finals.

Younts said Gould is popular among peers because of her attitude. According to both Younts and Houseman, she is very coachable.

“She’s got to be one of the best players in the area, probably in a long time,” said Houseman, who has coached the 16-year-old Gould since she was 12. “She hits for a ton of power and high average. Defensively, she’s solid and you’re just not going to find a better teammate than her. Nobody at Central Michigan is going to work harder than her. Her work ethic is unbelievable.”

Gould, who batted .474 as a freshman, is already Holton’s career home runs record-holder with 17 in two seasons.

The Red Devils lost their season this spring because of coronavirus COVID-19 and Younts had high hopes for his squad. On the bright side, he said he returns a wealth of talent and anticipates a special season in 2021 with Gould leading the way.

“She knows the game and she doesn’t crack under pressure,” Younts said. “She’s a leader, the kids love her, there’s no drama with her. If she says something, they listen.”

Younts said that Gould is somewhat of a “tomboy.” She seems fine with the characterization, too.

She enjoys balance in her life and looks forward to the opportunities she gets to spend outdoors with her dad and brothers. She admitted that fishing and hunting test her patience, which is different from sports, where she can force the issue.

“You have Kylie the redneck and my daughter, Emma, is like a city slicker,” Houseman said. “Funny story, we were up camping, playing in a tournament, and Emma caught a fish and she lets the fish swallow the entire hook. Kylie’s trying to dig the hook out of the fish and my daughter’s going, ‘Kylie, you’re choking it!’

“And Kylie’s like, ‘Geez, Emma … ,’” Houseman said with a laugh.

Gould is looking to add more memories at Holton next school year before she heads to CMU.

She is appreciative of her upbringing and treasures her experiences as a small-town type of girl.

“It has been amazing,” Gould said about Holton. “The amount of support that people give athletes and pretty much anybody is just so cool. I’ve definitely built like an entire family in my time there.”

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