Meet Chelsea Thomas, a collegiette™ who knows what it’s like to be perfect. As a pitcher for the No. 12 ranked softball team, Chelsea threw the first perfect game for Mizzou since 2002 March 2, 2011. Later that week, she did it again.
Chelsea, who is originally from Pleasantville, Iowa, has been interested in softball since she was 4 and began playing T-ball. However, she hasn’t always been the pitcher she is today. Chelsea says her first start as pitcher for the Pleasantville Trojans, a community league team, was horrible. Afterward, her dad, who would become her high school coach, put her in pitching lessons. We say that turned out to be a great decision!
While softball takes up most of her time, Chelsea makes sure to give back to the community by volunteering at the Central Missouri Food Bank and the Children’s Hospital. Chelsea is also a biology major who plans on attending physical therapy school and studying softball pitching mechanics. She makes sure softball always has a place in her life.
Her Campus Mizzou: After playing softball in high school, what made you decide to continue in college?
Chelsea Thomas: I played basketball, volleyball and softball and ran track in high school. I just really loved the game of softball. It was my dream to get a scholarship and play at a Division I school.
HCM: What brought you to Mizzou?
CT: Iowa is not heavily recruited for softball because of the high school season is in the summer, so I had a hard time getting looked at. My dad, as my coach, contacted a bunch of schools around Iowa, and immediately Missouri responded with interest. I came down and visited campus and met the coaching staff and team. I knew I wanted to come here. Mizzou was the atmosphere I was looking for in a college.
HCM: Describe the transition of playing softball for a Big 12 school.
CT: The Big 12 conference is a very tough conference to be in. I was playing against small teams in high school and jumped to some of the best Division I teams in the country. This was a big adjustment for me. I did fairly well my freshman year, but I was lacking something that could make me a more dominant pitcher for my team. Over the summer after my freshman year, I learned a new pitch: the rise ball. This pitch, along with a more developed changeup, has helped me be successful so far in my career.
HCM: You’ve thrown two perfect games this season. What’s running through your mind as you are throwing a perfect game?
CT: Actually, I didn’t realize I was throwing a perfect game. I’ve adopted a new mode of thinking this year: pitch-by-pitch. I try to focus on winning one pitch at a time. I am very focused on this way of thinking during the game, so I never actually realized I threw a perfect game until after the game.
HCM: Can you describe what it was like to throw a perfect game and then throw a second one?
CT: There is an amazing feeling that comes after throwing a perfect game. After a perfect game, everyone knows that the defense was perfect. Every ground ball was fielded and every fly ball was caught, yet the pitcher gets to take credit for it. Really it is a compliment of the team. Our team as a whole has been capable of being flawless two games this year, and that is something that should be celebrated.
HCM: What else do you hope to accomplish this season?
CT: Our team goals this season are to win the Big 12 and win the National Championship.
HCM: When it comes to softball, what are your plans after college?
CT: I would love to continue playing after college. If I’m not able to do that, I will definitely stay involved with teaching lessons or maybe even get a pitching coach position.