Leading the arms race
Hamlet Nalbandyan
GLENDALE -- It’s safe to say that Heather Lindstrom knows what she’s
talking about when it comes to pitching and softball.
The 31-year-old was one of the first in a long line of great hurlers
to come from this area, a list that includes Nancy Evans, Lindsay Parker
and most recently, Meredith Cervenka.
Her most notable accomplishment was winning a CIF Southern Section
Division 3-A title in 1986 with Crescenta Valley, which is still the lone
crown in program history.
After graduating in 1988, she went on to play at Cal State Northridge
for four years, helping the Matadors win two conference titles.
She is now a pitching coach in the local area, and has been passing on
her knowledge to young girls since 1994.
With that said, obviously her opinion carries a lot of weight when it
comes to softball, and more importantly, pitching.
So when she says that two of her clients, La Canada Flintridge
residents Kelly Kalish and Lauren Nydam, have the potential to be among
the best ever from this area, people tend to listen.
And Lindstrom has every reason to think that highly of her proteges.
In her three-year varsity career at La Canada High, Kalish has
accumulated a 42-14 overall record and has never had an earned-run
average greater than 0.47.
The senior has been named to the News-Press All-Area first team all
three years and has struck out 389 batters in 392 1/3 innings during that
time.
Perhaps more impressive than her high school accomplishments, Kalish’s
California Cruisers travel ball team was runner-up in the presigious
18-Gold Amateur Athletic Assn. Girls’ Fastpitch Softball Nationals in
Marietta, Ga., during the summer.
“Kelly is just a great competitor, and she’s as good as a girl like
Meredith,” said Lindstrom of the NAIA power, Point Loma Nazarene
University-bound Kalish in comparison with Cervenka, the former CV star
who just recently beat UCLA, the nation’s No. 1 team, as a freshman at
Long Beach State.
“Kelly could have easily gone to a Division I school, but she made a
very mature decision not to. She put her ego aside and decided to do what
makes her happy.
“Point Loma is a small Christian school, and it’s very beautiful
there. She’s going to have a great career.”
Lindstrom’s high praise of Kalish is nothing in comparison with Nydam,
a 6-foot sophomore at Village Christian.
“Lauren has the potential to be very, very good,” Lindstrom said.
“When she’s done, she could be as good, if not better than, anyone to
come out of here.
“Right now, she’s as good as Meredith [pitching wise], she just
doesn’t have the experience yet.”
That’s extremely high praise whenever someone is compared to a pitcher
like Cervenka, but considering the source, Lindstrom has to know what
she’s talking about, right?
Well, if you’ve still got a doubt, go see for yourself. Kalish’s
Spartans (1-1) will host Nydam’s Crusaders (1-2) at 3:15 p.m. today in a
nonleague contest.
But be advised, you could be there awhile, because like Lindstrom
said, these are two very good pitchers.
And she should know. She taught them everything they know.
“Heather is the only pitching coach I’ve ever gone to,” said Nydam,
15, who is coming off a 16-4 season in which she led Village Christian to
the CIF Southern Section Division V semifinals.
“I was like 10 years old when I started going to her, and I had
pitched a little before that, but I was really, really bad.”
Like Nydam, Lindstrom is the only pitching coach that Kalish has known
as well.
“She’s the one and only,” said Kalish, 18, who started going to
Lindstrom when she was 9.
“Heather is one of my role models, not just in pitching, but in life.
She’s like a sister, probably because she’s not old enough to be my mom.”
Naturally, both Nydam and Kalish are close to Lindstrom.
Kalish baby-sits for Lindstrom’s two daughters, Lauren, 9, and Morgan,
3, even with Lindstrom living in Thousand Oaks.
Nydam’s relationship with Lindstrom is more of a teacher/student bond.
“I go to her about half an hour a week, and what we work on most is
getting me prepared mentally,” said Nydam, who has an arsenal of six
pitches, with her best being a 63-mile-per-hour fastball.
As far as the relationship between Kalish and Nydam goes, the two are
friends and plan to work out together in the future.
Nydam even considers Kalish a role model.
“When I was just starting out, I’d watch Kelly and be like ‘wow’, “
Nydam said. “To see somebody as good as her and see how hard she worked,
was very motivating.
“I even changed my motion to emulate hers. It’s worked wonders so
far.”
THE PITCHING FILE
Name: Heather Lindstrom.
Age: 31.
High school: Crescenta Valley, class of 1988.
Occupation: Pitching coach.
Did you know? Lindstrom led CV to its lone CIF Southern Section
Division 3-A title in 1986, beating Woodbridge, 5-4.
Name: Kelly Kalish.
Age: 18.
High school: La Canada, class of 2002.
Did you know? Kalish was 42-14 in her three-year high school career
entering this year and has never had an earned-run average higher than
0.47.
Name: Lauren Nydam.
Age: 15.
High school: Village Christian, class of 2004.
Did you know? As a freshman, Nydam led the Crusaders to the CIF
Southern Section Division V semifinals after posting a 16-4 record with a
0.36 ERA.