Elgin grad Perryman setting more DII records at UMSL

Elgin High School product Hannah Perryman has picked up right where she left off.

Perryman, the left-handed flame-throwing pitcher for the University of Missouri-St. Louis softball team, is tied for the NCAA Division II record for perfect games with eight (stats through Wednesday). She threw six of those last year, setting a Division II single-season record.

She also is the owner of 12 no-hitters in her career (currently tied for fourth all-time in Division II) and is the NCAA Division II active career leader in strikeouts with 1,257 and has 91 career wins, 78 complete games and 43 shutouts.

Perryman is 283 strikeouts away (as of Wednesday) from breaking the Division II all-time career record. She also owns an .843 career winning percentage (91-17).

Through midweek Perryman was 8-0 this season (6 shutouts) with a 1.30 ERA. She had 99 strikeouts and 10 walks in 54 innings of work. Opponents were batting only .102 against her. Perryman's efforts have helped UMSL start 10-0 and earn a No. 5 Division II national ranking.

"I'm doing the same old stuff," said Perryman earlier this week. "This year I'm more focused on being goal-oriented. I've put in a lot more practice pitching to live hitters and focusing on my mechanics more. My goal is to make better pitches all the time and not put so many down the middle. I'm working on making the ball jump more instead of just letting it go. I'm working on an outside ball that curves away to right-hand hitters."

Perryman has command of four pitches - fastball, changeup, curve and a rise ball. "I'm still working on the changeup, it's still kind of bad," she said with a laugh. "My curve and rise ball are good."

More than just her pitching, UMSL head coach Brian Levin marvels at the competitive nature Perryman brings to the table.

"Hannah is not as much in love with the game as she is in love with the competition," he said. "She does not want to be beat. This inner-fire stemming from her love to compete drives her to work at her craft and that is then displayed on the field. She is a fierce competitor and in my opinion it has led to her success on the softball field."

Perryman said the competitive juices have been intensified this season. "We came off a tough loss at the end of last season (UMSL, ranked No. 1 at the time, lost twice to Indianapolis in the NCAA Midwest super-regional) and we lost a lot of returning starters from that team," she said. "I'm motivated to be even better. As a senior I need to lead this team like I know I can. I want to be out there on the mound and be a force to be reckoned with every single time we play a team."

Perryman said leadership skills come more easily when she steps between the chalk lines.

"On the field, being a leader is easier," she said. "Off the field is not as easy. I lead more by example. I'm not a bossy-type of person. I still don't really see myself in that position, even though I probably should."

Perryman tied the NCAA career mark for perfect games in Gulf Shores, Ala., earlier this season against Union, in a five-inning game where she mowed down 14 of the 15 batters she faced.

"It still is nerve-racking," she said of the perfect game scenarios. "With the most recent one I knew I had a perfect game going into the fifth inning. I had never been more nervous. I went 3-2 to the last batter and it was so nerve-racking. After the game I started shaking because that's when the nerves really set in. I knew it was record-breaking, but I try not to think about that stuff. But for some reason it was in my head. The first couple games of the season I usually don't throw my best and I knew I had worked really hard this off-season. I started this season throwing good stuff and got the perfect game."

The art of pitching is something Perryman said has taken plenty of time to perfect.

"I've had to work at this, for sure," she said. "I've been a dominant pitcher, but I never saw myself like this. I didn't always move the ball around. I would say I've been effectively wild. I would throw it and hope for the best. I was not a spot pitcher. I've worked on my velocity (she says she throws in the 63 to 65 MPH range). I'm not a big girl. I'm only 5-5. I've worked on my strength and have been able to gain some speed. We do a lot of heavy ball and light ball training and that helps with arm strength."

In addition to enjoying a marvelous college career, Perryman also is having a blast playing with younger sister, Jennah, who was hitting .393 with 2 homers and 8 RBI through midweek.

"It's amazing having her here," Hannah said. "She knows my mechanics and she helps calm me and makes me more relaxed. She has my back. She's also my roommate. It's been incredible having her here. I couldn't ask for a better person to hang around with."

Perryman, a psychology major with a minor in criminal justice, is more focused on how she can best help her UMSL team this season, rather than where the next no-hitter is going to appear.

"I want to win as many games as possible for this team," she said. "I want us to win a conference championship, win the conference tournament and then take it game by game and get to the national championship."

Looking back, Perryman said as an Elgin High player she could never have forecast what has unfolded in St. Louis for her.

"Absolutely not," she said. "Not in my wildest dreams. What I am living now is what I have dreamed about my entire life. I've worked really hard for many years to become the pitcher I want to be. This is absolutely incredible."

Some might even say perfect.

Mike Miazga has been writing about sports in the Fox Valley for more than two decades. Email him at mjm890@gmail.com.