Marshalltown Community College expresses its condolences to the friends and family of Kolton Gonnerman, a former MCC student who passed away last week.
Gonnerman, 24, passed away on Friday, July 10, in a single-vehicle rollover accident east of Centerville. Reports say that Gonnerman was the driving his pickup and lost control while negotiating a curve. Another person was also in the vehicle and was seriously injured.
Gonnerman graduated from Centerville High School in 2014. He attended MCC 2014-2016 before transferring to Missouri State University for one year and then finishing his college education at Upper Iowa University.
During his time at MCC he was a pitcher for the Tigers as well as being an MCC student ambassador.
"Kolton was always very dedicated at being an ambassador for MCC. Students loved him and he was seen as a role model on campus," commented MCC Dean of Enrollment and Student Services, Angie Redmond. "He had an amazing energy in everything he did."
During his time at MCC, Gonnerman appeared in 11 games for the Tigers in 2015, making five starts. As a freshman, he posted a 3-2 record, striking out 31 batters in 29.1 innings of work and boasted a 3.07 earned run average. He was named to the NJCAA All-Region XI Honorable Mention team. His sophomore season at MCC he played and started in 11 games. He had an 8-1 record striking out 63 batters.
"Kolton had an amazing career at MCC but more than that he was a great teammate and a relentless worker," commented former MCC head baseball coach and current assistant coach Rich Grife. "His personality was so infectious people were attracted to him which made him a strong leader. No matter how good or bad things were he always wore a grin on his face. He treated his coaches and teammates as if they were a second family."
Gonnerman is the only player in MCC baseball history that played for the USA Junior College team. He achieved this honor the summer after his sophomore year. He also fielded more offers from four-year schools than any MCC player to Grife's knowledge.
"Colton really blew up his sophomore year. He wasn't perfect, but when he was pitching it was as close as you could get," commented Grife. "I could go on and on about him. I have heard from dozens of his teammates which says a lot about him and the relationships he had at MCC."
