Mindy Lorimor is in elite company as one of the few pitchers to strike out all 21 batters in a perfect game on two separate occasions.
Photo by Leonetta Lorimor
senior softball pitcher
Mindy Lorimor has joined a very select group of pitchers who have thrown two career seven-inning perfect games during which they struck out all 21 batters.
Though no national records are kept in this unique category, MaxPreps has found at least two others who have accomplished the very rare feat — Dallas Escobedo of St. Mary's (Phoenix) in 2010 and Katie Cota of Linden (Calif.) in 2005.
Last week Lorimor accomplished the feat during an 8-0 victory against Nishnabotna (Hamburg, Iowa). In 2009 she mastered Farragut (Iowa), 9-0.
"I had never thought of it before," she said. "I knew what was going on, but I always was afraid that people would jinx it. One time (in the sixth inning) our shortstop asked if I was trying to get a perfect game. My coach made a comment. He knew no one had hit off me, but didn't know they all had struck out. I have the ball in my room. My whole team signed it for me."
During last week's gem, she said she knew she had struck out the first nine batters.
Mindy Lorimor will pitch at SouthDakota State next year.
Photo by Mark Jewell Photography
"OK, I've been all the way around (the lineup) and I've seen everyone," she recalled thinking. "Anything can happen. As soon as I got the 20th strikeout, I knew I had it. The last batter struck out looking. As soon as the ball hit the (catcher's) glove, it was relief."
The 5-foot-9 Lorimor has cast a gigantic shadow at Fremont-Mills, a school of 161 students in grades 9-12 that has had losing records from the early 1990s until she reached the varsity as an eighth grader in 2007 and immediately took over as the No. 1 pitcher. The Knights have had five consecutive winning years under her leadership and in her freshman year they reached the Class A state tournament for the first time in 38 years.
With her final season still going strong (Iowa softball is played in the summer), Lorimor already holds these one-season school records: 97 victories (with 25 losses), 210 innings pitched, 334 strikeouts, 0.34 ERA, 13.2 strikeouts per game, 17 walks, 47 hits allowed and .084 opponents' batting average.
She also will likely hold career records in these categories at the end of the summer.
Lorimor already has career totals of 55 shutouts and 10 perfect games.
Perhaps the team records are even more impressive during the Lorimor era. In order they are 16-12, 25-7, 26-11, 26-10 and 7-4 so far this year. The team was 3-19 when Lorimor switched to her travel team on weekends to seek stronger competition.
Lorimor already had been playing with teams in two different towns as a fourth grader, but her career received its biggest boost when she began taking private lessons as a fifth grader.
"It was pretty natural," she said. "But I've had to practice a lot to get to where I am today. I've been in the gym every morning before school and pitching to my mom since sixth grade. I don't think I ever slow down."
Her mother, Leonetta Lorimor, who also played softball at the same school, has been her faithful catcher all these years and even suffered a broken toe once from an errant pitch.
Minday started playing travel ball in seventh grade and has been a member of several teams that have placed high in national tournaments. Her most memorable day was in a 14-and-under tourney during which her team won five games in one day in the losers' bracket, but lost No. 6 in a game that ended around midnight.
As an eighth grader, she not only made the Fremont-Mills varsity, but quickly became the No. 1 pitcher.
"I was pretty comfortable playing with a lot of older girls, but they had a hard time accepting me," she admitted. "By the end of the season, I think they realized that I was helping them out a lot."
Coach Kyle Fichter recalled, "Even when she was younger, she still had more experience (from travel ball) than the older kids. Our junior high (feeder) programs around here only play about seven games."
Now in his fifth year of coaching her, he says, "The highlight for me is her leadership – the way she treats younger kids. She's really positive if they make mistakes. She's not only an exceptional pitcher, but also the ultimate team player. She has elevated our program, but she doesn't want the limelight for that."
Her very presence seems to intimidate her younger teammates.
"Nobody wants to follow her. They would like to pitch, but they don't want to be compared to her," Fichter revealed.
Even in her first varsity campaign, Lorimor made a huge impact. She posted a 16-8 record with 217 strikeouts and a mere 12 walks in 152 innings. Her ERA was 1.24. At the plate she batted .313. The next year she won a critical 1-0 game against Exira to propel the Knights into the state tourney for the first time in 38 years.
"There was pressure," she readily confessed, "but I deal with it pretty well and stay composed."
Her freshman numbers included a 25-4 record with 305 strikeouts and just 20 walks in 186 innings. She yielded just 67 hits and compiled a 0.34 ERA. She raised her batting average considerably to .363 and drove in 20 runs.
As a sophomore, she was 24-4 with a 0.51 ERA. In 164 innings, she struck out 309, walked 17 and yielded 47 hits. Her hitting also skyrocketed with a .429 batting average and 32 RBIs.
During her junior year she posted her 1,000th career strikeout despite the pitching mound being moved back from 40 to 43 feet. The milestone strikeout came during a 4-2 loss to Shenandoah (Iowa). It was supposed to come in the previous game at home, but that one ended in a 12-0, run-rule victory in just three innings and she was left three strikeouts short.
"Mom made cookies and brownies and speakers were set up to make the announcement," Lorimor recalled. "We celebrated anyway, because she didn't want to bake again. I knew I was going to get it the next game.
Her junior year numbers included a 25-8 record, 334 strikeouts and 31 walks in 210 innings. Her ERA was 1.03. Her batting average again rose, this time to .472, and she flashed some power with five home runs.
Her last two years have come under the tutelage of pitching coach Jerrad Hardin, who owns Next Level.
Hardin told MaxPreps, "Right away I could tell Mindy was special, just from her work ethic. I knew she was capable of doing great things. The effort she puts forth has made her an incredible player. Her mom pushes her pretty hard. She owes a lot of her success to her mother.
"She used to telegraph her changeup. I've taught her to be more deceptive. She's improved her spin a lot. She's learned how to utilize her pitches and how to set up her pitches. She's no longer a thrower, but now a pitcher."
Hardin pointed out that Mindy throws six different pitches. He noted, "Her best go-to is the curveball. Her riseball is a really tough pitch for hitters to lay off. Her fastball tops at 63-64 mph and her changeup at 46 mph. But her best quality is pinpoint accuracy, which comes from throwing every hour in her high school gym. In 15 years of doing this and being all over the country, (I think) she is the best that I've worked with in being able to throw where she wants. She very unassuming and reserved, but very popular and magnetic."
It should be pointed out that Mindy is much more than a softball player. She has lettered four years in basketball and track and three in volleyball, where she holds one-season school records for kill efficiency and blocks.
She compiled an outstanding 3.94 GPA – fourth in the senior class. She also was a member of Student Council, National Honor Society and served as Sophomore Class president.
As she closes out her prep career this summer, Mindy and her family are battling some major adversity.
Several months ago, her brother, Marcus, accidentally shot himself in the left leg. Just last Saturday their father, Matt, had a heart attack. Marcus is recovering well and Matt is doing surprisingly well considering that he overcame a huge blood clot and only had to be hospitalized for less than three days.
Adding even more pressure is the raging Missouri River, threatening just three miles from their farm and creating a strong possibility that they will lose all of their crops.
"It's stressful on everyone," Mindy concedes. "Mom farms and that's her only job. Everybody to the west of us has moved out. I expect water (on the family farm) no matter what."
Hardin observes, "It's the worst time of her life. I'm very proud that she's being so mentally tough for all the hardships that she's been through."
Still, Mindy has college to look forward to at the end of the summer. She will attend South Dakota State University to remain close to home. However, similar to her high school situation, she will be joining a program that has a 76-173 record over the past five years.
"She could turn an entire program around," Hardin predicted. "Her stuff is so good that she is going to be able, maybe, to pitch them into position to get a postseason berth."
