How Payton Tolle’s mother helped him become a Boston Red Sox
Tolle's mom, who died in May, had an outsized influence on her son, whom the Red Sox drafted No. 50 overall in 2024.
Payton Tolle is not a small man. At 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, Tolle towers over most of the batters brave enough to face him. But much larger than Tolle’s stature is the amount of enthusiasm he carries with him. When you meet Tolle for the first time, he greets you with a booming, animated voice that can fill entire stadiums. Once you sit down with him, he’ll chat with you about anything under the Boston summer sun with a Green Monster sized smile on his face.
That sunny disposition runs in the Tolle family. His mother, Jina, could often be found at her son’s childhood ball games, taking care of his teams during those scorching Bethany, Okla. summers. There was always something in that big bag of hers that could fix any cut or scrape. She wasn’t just the team mom — Tolle’s teammates called her “Momma” just like he did.
The wounds Tolle’s mother would heal weren’t just physical. When he started playing competitive baseball, he played a little too competitively. He dwelled over bad pitches and swings, which harmed his overall performances. All of that changed after his mom started giving him a request:
“Show ‘em why people love the game of baseball.”
From then on, Tolle viewed baseball as a sport he loved, instead of one he needed to excel at. The joy he had for the game skyrocketed as a result. Jina Tolle and her husband, Chad, fostered that joy by spending hours helping him refine his game.
“I think my dad needs Tommy John right now from how many times he’s thrown batting practice,” Tolle joked to Boston.com.
Tolle ended his high school baseball career with only one collegiate offer, but one he likely would have taken regardless. Wichita State University had already been one of his top three choices, and he bonded with its baseball coaches upon meeting them. It was a perfect fit. Tolle pitched and played first base there for two years — until a coaching change reshuffled the roster.
He wanted to remain loyal to those who stayed with the team, but knew he needed a change of scenery amid the turnover. So Tolle transferred to Texas Christian University (TCU) and began a difficult junior year.
That was the eighth year since his mother began her battle with stage IV colon cancer. At that point, family time stopped being a luxury. It became necessary.
“Whenever I went home, it was just, ‘Alright, I’m going to hang out with Mom for a bit,’” Tolle said. “[Her cancer] really just amplified the love that we have for each other and the ways we were showing that.”
Throughout those eight years, Tolle’s mother never once lost her smile. She maintained the same glowing demeanor that her son inherited until May 9, when Jina Tolle smiled for the final time.
Tolle went back to Oklahoma for a week to mourn with his family. He returned to school to take the mound for TCU’s final series opener of the regular season: a May 16 match against West Virginia. It would be his first start since his mother’s passing, and his last before the postseason.
It was time to show the crowd at Lupton Stadium why people love the game of baseball.
One by one, Tolle struck West Virginia’s batters out until he did so for the 11th time. Of the 110 pitches Tolle threw in TCU’s 6-3 victory, the Mountaineers only hit five. The entire crowd stood up and roared for him in the eighth inning after he threw his last pitch.
Boston Red Sox director of amateur scouting Devin Pearson, who attended that game, left in awe.
“[Tolle’s performance] gave me more comfort,” said Pearson. “Like, ‘Man, I can see what everybody’s seeing here and why we liked him so much.’”
The Red Sox were already familiar with the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year. They knew about his electric fastball and his massive 7-foot-4 extension, but they hadn’t drafted a pitcher in the first two rounds in almost seven years. Was Tolle good enough to break that trend?
He could be. He was very different from most of the pitchers they’d passed on before.
“He is a big kid from the left side,” Florida Complex League Red Sox manager Jimmy Gonzalez said. “That’s a plus right there.”
The Red Sox have admired Tolle since their former scout Chris Reilly began advocating for him. They loved his tireless work ethic and thought his friendliness would fit well in their clubhouses. When draft day came, there was little need to debate. The Red Sox used the 50th overall selection to welcome Tolle to the organization.
Truth be told, the Red Sox were a team that Tolle hoped would call his name. He’s always loved the idea of pitching at the stadium he calls “the greatest venue in the world.” He now has the chance to do so one day.
“It’s the Boston Red Sox,” Tolle said. “I get chills just saying that!”
There’s plenty of work to be done to get there, but Tolle is ready to begin his journey to Fenway Park. And he’s eager to show Red Sox fans why they love the game of baseball along the way.
“Everytime I put on that [Red Sox] hat, it’s something I’m super proud of,” Tolle said, “Something that I know my mom is super proud of.”
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