New Life Academy pitcher fans record 32

NORTH MANKATO, MINN. - Not long after Danielle Schmidt's single plated the winning run for New Life Academy in the bottom of the 11th inning of a 3-2 state tournament quarterfinal victory Thursday, a voice came over the loudspeaker at Caswell Park.

Schmidt, who pitches for the Class 1A school located in Woodbury, had set a single-game state softball tournament record for strikeouts against Lake Crystal-Wellcome. But wait, what was that number?

Thirty-two?

That meant she had 10 more strikeouts than the previous record-holder. And it meant Schmidt had accounted for 32 of a possible 33 outs with nothing more than several 40-foot flings. But the number was right. The only other out? A sacrifice bunt fielded by --who else? -- Schmidt.

Schmidt, though, seemed more interested in dwelling on the two-run homer she allowed in the sixth inning, which erased a 2-0 lead and led to a lot more work. But think of it this way, Danielle: If you hadn't allowed that home run, you wouldn't have made history.

She laughed and said, "I would hope that I would never have to strike out that many batters ever again."

That many strikeouts is a month's work for a lot of pitchers, but for Schmidt, a senior, it wasn't even a day's work. The quarterfinal game ended around 11:15 a.m.; six hours later, she cranked up her right arm once again for a semifinal showdown against Silver Bay.

The result: a no-hitter, this time in the regulation seven innings during a 5-0 victory. Schmidt again wasn't too happy. The problem this time? Three walks. Never mind those 14 strikeouts, which gave her 46 for the day -- leaving her only three short of tying the record for the entire tournament, with one game yet to play.

"I don't know if I'm a perfectionist," Schmidt said. "I just want to play my best on every pitch."

She said the Thursday workload wasn't a problem. Schmidt has pitched about 95 percent of New Life Academy's innings this season, head coach Mick Ramey said. Last year at the state tournament, Schmidt pitched three consecutive shutouts -- twice firing no-hitters, with the other being a one-hitter -- to lead the Eagles to the title.

For her career -- she has been pitching on the varsity since seventh grade -- Schmidt has more than 1,200 strikeouts. Add that to the 1,000-plus points she scored for New Life Academy's basketball team and her 1,000-plus assists for the volleyball team, and you have an athlete who will be hard to replace.

Ramey slowly nodded his head and said, "She's been a lot of fun. She's just one of those girls you can always count on."

Ramey talked of Schmidt's future, which likely will take her to Wheaton College in suburban Chicago. But first: one more high school game for that strong right arm today, with a second consecutive state championship on the line.

"That's weird. I didn't even think about that," Schmidt said of today being her last game. "I hope it will end on a good one."

Michael Rand • mrand@startribune.com