Bringing the heat

Although she is steadily climbing the career softball statistical charts for Midland Lutheran College, junior pitcher Kelly Sladek is only concerned about one thing.

Winning.

Sladek, a graduate of Exeter-Milligan High School, is already No. 2 on the Lady Warriors career strikeout charts. She has 400 in her career, trailing only Val Reiman’s 539.

"There have been a lot of great pitchers at Midland and to be considered among them means a lot to me," Sladek said. "But I can’t stress enough what the team’s success means to me. The reason we’re successful is that we have such great team chemistry."

Sladek is quick to point out that she is just part of arguably the deepest pitching staff in the Great Plains Athletic Conference. She joins senior Rachel Theis and sophomore Lyndsi Eckelberry to form a formidable trio.

"All three of them want the ball when we step on the field," Midland coach Keith Kramme said. "But they realize we can only start two pitchers in our (GPAC) doubleheaders and they’ll do what’s best for the team. They’re always ready when we need them and each of the three brings a different aspect to the game."

Kramme believes Sladek’s velocity is her strength. She has struck out 74 in 58 1/3 innings and has a team-best ERA of 1.20. She is 6-2 with two saves and opponents are only hitting .194 against her.

"Her best pitch is her fastball, but where she has made the biggest improvement from her freshman year to now is her ability to change speeds," Kramme said. "Her first year and even some last year she relied on her ability to just blow people away, but she is much better at changing speeds and keeping hitters off-balance."

Sladek, who played on Fillmore Central’s 2005 Class C state championship team (a co-op with Exeter-Milligan), said she has matured as a pitcher.

"In high school I was able to just use my speed and throw fastballs and some changeups," she said. "I learned real quick that in college you face much better hitters throughout the lineup. You need a variety of pitches and to change locations."

Sladek’s father, Bill, started her pitching when she was 8. While some of her ability is natural, success comes with dedication.

"It was definitely something that I knew I had talent in when I was young," she said. "But pitching takes time and a lot of hard work to master. It’s been a process to get where I’m at with it."

Sladek’s state title season caught the eye of college recruiters, including the University of New Mexico, Iowa State and South Dakota. Midland, however, won out for a number of reasons.

"I thought it was cool to get offers from those (larger) schools, but it didn’t spark a lot of interest in me," Sladek said. "I wanted a small-school environment. I didn’t want to be just a number at a big school. Midland is also only 90 minutes from my home. I didn’t want to go too far away and be at a place where my family wouldn’t be able to support me. That was important because they’ve been there for me the whole time."

When she isn’t pitching, Sladek sometimes is in the Midland lineup at first base. She is hitting .232 with a home run.

Kramme appreciates her contributions as a first baseman, but knows her legacy will be as a pitcher.

"Her numbers speak for themselves," he said. "She has been pretty consistent for us. When everything is done after next year - and if she continues like she is - I think she’ll be able to look back and realize she had a pretty good career."