Payton Tolle

Tolle attended Bethany High School in Bethany, Oklahoma. He enrolled at Wichita State University, where he played college baseball as a two-way player for the Wichita State Shockers. He batted .320 and pitched to a 9–2 win-loss record for the Shockers as a sophomore in 2023 and was a finalist for the John Olerud Award. After the 2023 season, Tolle transferred to Texas Christian University (TCU) to play for the TCU Horned Frogs. In his lone year at TCU in 2024, he was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year after going 7–4 with a 3.21 earned run average (ERA) and 125 strikeouts in innings pitched. ==Professional career==

The Boston Red Sox selected Tolle in the second round of the 2024 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the Red Sox and made his professional debut in 2025 with the Greenville Drive, was promoted to the Portland Sea Dogs in June, and was promoted to the Worcester Red Sox in early August. Across three minor league levels, Tolle recorded a 3.04 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 133 strikeouts over innings. On August 29, 2025, Tolle was called up to the Red Sox and made his major-league debut that evening, against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Tolle pitched innings allowing two earned runs, three hits, and two walks while recording eight strikeouts. Tolle was optioned to Triple-A Worcester to begin the 2026 season. ==References==