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Where Are They Now? Chelsea Thomas


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May 13, 2009
Pleasantville

Check here to see why this 2008 Pleasantville grad is already worthy of a Where Are They Now? piece....


 

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? CHELSEA THOMAS

PLEASANTVILLE HIGH SCHOOL: SOFTBALL; 2004-8

May 13, 2009

Pleasantville graduate Chelsea Thomas is the youngest eligible Where Are They Now? candidate, but already a worthy one.

The 2008 high school graduate is currently a freshman softball player at the University of Missouri. She recently was named the Outstanding Player at the Big 12 Championships, where her Tigers won the title.

Thomas didn’t allow a run in three games at the tournament and was a pivotal part of the Tigers win against top-seeded Oklahoma in the championship game, keeping the Sooners hitless through three innings and completing her ninth solo shutout of the year.

And it’s not as if she randomly sprout at the end of the season. Thomas finished the regular season with a 1.14 E.R.A. Good enough for 14th best in the nation, and second best amongst freshman. If you were to ask her what her E.R.A. was though, she wouldn’t have a clue.

“I have no idea what my E.R.A. was during the regular season,” Thomas said. “Our coach doesn’t put them online; he thinks stats put pressure on us, so he doesn’t want anyone to feel that additional pressure.”

Thomas didn’t randomly sprout into a great collegiate pitcher either. She used her experiences as a child and prep in Central-Iowa to hone her skills.

“There weren’t any ASA teams up around the Pleasantville or Knoxville area, so I just went to Indianola and tried out for the team, and made it,” Thomas said. “We made a pretty good run at a couple national tournaments too.”

That team she played on was called the Indianola Ice; she played with them through middle school, when all the girls went to high school, the team dismantled.

In her junior and senior seasons at Pleasantville she participated in the state tournament, which according to Thomas was also beneficial to her collegiate successes.

“We went to the state tournament the last two years of my high school career. I definitely think pitching in those games helped me get ready for college ball,” Thomas said.

That was all the past; the future is always something to be considered too. And just like any typical 19 year old, Thomas isn’t exactly sure what she wants to do with hers.

“I’m just going to play it out and see what opportunities come,” said the biology major. “I don’t know what I really want to do next though. In my dream world the Olympics would come back and it would be a dream come true to play there.”

Well, Thomas told me that she heard the Olympics may once again be offering softball in 2016. That would place her at about 27 years old, sounds feasible to me.

For now though the Tiger freshman has a newfound stardom and a looming NCAA tournament to focus on. She is currently featured on the front page of the University of Missouri’s Web site. She remains humble about it though.

“I’m honored they put my picture up there,” Thomas said. “They didn’t tell me that my picture was going to be there, it just popped up and I was like ‘Oh my gosh!’”

Thomas’ Tigers will have to get by seven other NCAA qualifiers, DePaul, Bradley, Illinois, Fresno state, UNLV, Long Beach State and UCLA, in order to be one of eight qualifiers for the College World Series. The 11th ranked Tigers are the second highest ranked team in that group behind the second-ranked Bruins of UCLA. But still a C.W.S. birth is realistic.

“The World Series was a dream to all of us, and we just had to test out our season and see what we’re capable of,” Thomas said. “Now I think we all know we’re fully capable of it.”

The World Series will be played May 28th through June 3rd and will be televised nationally. There’s a chance you may be watching this Pleasantville grad who has found a new home in Columbia.

“Columbia is beautiful,” Thomas said. “There are tons of things to do here, it’s a good spot, and it’s a good fit for me.”

TJ Rushing, High School Playbook

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