Becker Signs With RedTail Softball

RedTail Softball head coach Courtney Calkins announces the signing of Payton Becker to the 2026 recruiting class. Becker is the daughter of Katie and Tony Becker and attends Riceville High School. 

During her time on varsity, Becker has put an impressive stat line out. She has collected 106 hits, including 17 doubles and one homerun. She has a .282 on base percentage and a .350 on base percentage. She has added 62 runs batted in and 62 runs scored, and has stolen 11 bases. She also has maintained a .960 fielding percentage.

For her efforts, she has been named to the All-Conference Team. Outside of softball, Becker is also very involved in other sports. She has been named to the Track and Field All-Conference Team, has been a State Track Qualifier, and is a three-year letter winner in track and field. She is a four-year letter winner for volleyball and has won the volleyball E. Wayne Cooley “You Can” Character Award. She also has lettered twice in basketball and once in wrestling. On top of this, she has maintained a 3.6 GPA and is an academic letter winner.

Outside of sports, she has been involved in Lighthouse (student council), National Honors Society, Speech, and FFA.

Becker had this to say about choosing Hawkeye: “The coach and a couple of the players made me feel comfortable and welcomed right away. This made it feel like home. Being surrounded by people who are passionate and encouraging confirmed that this is where I belong. I’m excited to be part of a team that feels like a family and to embrace new experiences, challenges, and opportunities both on and off the field!”

“Payton is the epitome of what being a RedTail means,” comments Coach Courtney Calkins. “She has a bright, positive personality that really shines through. She is a leader and wants the best out of others. On top of that, she has a strong bat at the plate and a solid presence in the outfield. I can’t wait to see the impact she makes here at Hawkeye!”