Dallmeyer signs to play DI

WASHINGTON - Kellie Dallmeyer has been integral to the Washington High School softball team for a number of years.

”She's a great teammate, a great leader with a strong work ethic and very talented,” Washington head softball coach Ben Obermann said. 'She has intangibles off the field as well.”

Schools recruit athletes with a couple of those abilities but in Dallmeyer, they're getting it all. The Demon senior signed a letter of intent Monday to help lead St. Thomas University, which has three campuses - St. Paul, downtown Minneapolis and Rome, Italy - on the diamond as it transitions from a Division III program to DI, the first school in NCAA history to make that jump without going to DII. The move will make it Minnesota's first private D-I collegiate athletics program and just the second D-I program in the state. The Tommies will be in the Summit League for 19 of their 22 sports.

Dallmeyer will play for John Tschida, the winningest Division III coach, active or retired. He has seven College World Series trips, an overall 107-39 postseason record and a nationally ranked team each season. His winning percentage is .839 with a 977-187 record and he is the first softball coach to win NCAA championships at two different schools.

'I think it's especially exciting to be part of the transfer from D1, especially since I will be the first class to experience the jump,” Dallmeyer said.

Obermann alerted the university to Dallmeyer's talents, prompting phone calls from the university starting in August. In late October, Dallmeyer made a visit to the campus. In late November, there was a flurry of calls that convinced her to become a Tommie, the university's mascot.

'She is extremely versatile and that will give her a lot of opportunities to play,” Obermann said. 'Behind the plate, infield, outfield, she can do it all.”

Dallmeyer's ability with the bat will help her earn her way onto the field. That ability has been cultivated every offseason since she was in fifth grade by Washington head baseball coach Nathan Miller who is also a family friend.

Miller did not worry about the difference between softball and baseball. The basic process is very similar with hand-eye coordination and other techniques, a lot is the mental part.

'It's all pretty much the same process,” Miller said. ''There was already something there with her natural talent, so I just wanted to make sure I could do whatever I could to help her reach her goals. She is ready to take that next step.”

That step involved not playing basketball this season to work on her softball abilities.

'I want to play at the next level so I need more time to hit, field, take lessons and all that,” Dallmeyer said. 'I owe a lot of my hitting to (Miller).

Obermann said her work ethic is unmatched and has helped her 'make strides offensively and surprise us.”

It will be a huge step from Class 4A Iowa softball to DI but Dallmeyer has huge plans. 'My dream job would be an athletic trainer for a professional team.”

She wants to major in exercise science and health nutrition, then get a Master's degree after Saint Thomas.