Mindy (Evans) Miller filled her collegiate career with constant activity, exactly the way she wanted it. On those rare occasions when she played in the outfield, she thought about how she really would rather be pitching. Mindy craved the heart of the action. Once her head coach learned what a rubber arm she possessed, Mindy covered nearly every available inning on her way to a legendary career on both the softball diamond and volleyball court at Concordia University, Nebraska.
She threw a no-hitter as a senior in 1999, once fired a 17-strikeout game, set lofty statistical program standards for pitching and hitting and produced more than 1,000 kills as a middle blocker in volleyball. Those details get fuzzy over time for Mindy, not someone who easily recalls statistics, specific games or plays she made. There are other parts of the experience that stand out.
“I didn’t know this at the time, but I really feel like God sent me here because there was no other reason for me to go to Concordia,” Mindy said. “We were a low-income family, so every college flyer that I got that was over a certain amount – I just threw it in the trash. Nope, nope, nope. That’s too expensive, and Concordia was one of those … But when I visited Concordia, it was just like, ‘this is it.’ You just have that feeling. I can’t put a word to it. I can’t name what it is, but this feels like where I’m supposed to be. I really do think God had His hand in it. It didn’t make sense on paper, but this is where you’re meant to be.”
Many moments over those four years from 1995 through 1999 validated Mindy’s college decision. Concordia supported her pursuit of softball and volleyball careers alongside her academic study as an education major. Perhaps most importantly, the institution provided a caring community when her mother passed away as a result of brain cancer during Mindy’s senior year. Within this environment, Mindy’s faith life exploded in ways she hadn’t imagined. She also met her future husband, Greg, whom she married prior to her senior year.
Athletically, Mindy starred as one of the greatest multi-sport competitors in school history. She collected NIAC All-Conference awards all four years in both softball and volleyball. As a workhorse pitcher, Mindy logged an eye-popping 869.1 innings for a school record that will likely never be touched. The two-time NIAC Pitcher of the Year also owns softball program all-time records for hits (227), triples (18), RBIs (177), runs scored (169) and pitching wins (83). She also lands at No. 2 in strikeouts (498) and at No. 4 for career ERA (2.23). From a team standpoint, she played on the 1995 volleyball team that won 40 matches and earned induction into the school’s hall of fame and led the 1998 softball team to a then school record 33 wins and NIAC regular season and tournament titles.
Mindy can honestly say that those statistics are not ingrained in her mind. She jokes that her husband can recall shots that he took in middle school, but she can barely remember what team she played against in a championship game. As Mindy said, “The only thing I use the stats for is – I’ve got two kids that went to Concordia (Nathan and Tanya), one’s still there – it’s bragging rights for who’s the best athlete in the family. So far, I’m winning.”
Well, mom is a tough act to follow. She’s certainly the most accomplished pitcher in the history of Bulldog Softball. Her success as a college player traces back to the hours she spent pitching in the backyard, where her father served as her catcher and ultimate encourager. A native of North Platte, Mindy went to pitching lessons every Saturday (for the grand cost of $1 per session) put on by a local youth coach.
She kept throwing and throwing. Somehow, her arm never wore out. When she got to Concordia, she would sometimes tape a strike zone to the wall of the PE Gym and whirl softballs against it. Mindy is responsible for the three highest innings pitched totals in a season in program history – 212 as a sophomore, 227.1 as a junior and 247.1 as a senior. Her final season, she covered all but 10.2 innings in the circle. She threw ‘only’ 182.2 innings as a freshman. When Mindy told Head Coach Tim Pruess she was capable of firing both ends of a doubleheader, he obliged. Over four years, close friend and classmate Amy Aden caught Mindy for nearly all of those innings. (They continued to play softball together beyond college).
Explains Mindy, “My shoulders never hurt. I never had any physical problems. Pitching wasn’t a strain on my body. Even in high school, I’d pitch five-six games in tournaments. You obviously get tired, but there was no other position I’d rather be at. In college, if I didn’t pitch, I’d go to the outfield, and I didn’t like that very much. I just stood there for most of the game. Pitching is what I loved to do … I enjoyed pitching and having that control over the game. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Coming out of high school, Mindy also entertained softball scholarship offers from Wayne State and York. The idea that she could play volleyball came late in the process. Mindy’s father asked Coach Preuss if she could try out for the volleyball team. At the time, it was more common for college athletes to compete in multiple sports. Mindy made it work. She played volleyball in the fall and softball in the spring.
In her modesty, Mindy says she was “kind of average” as a high school volleyball player. But yet, as a freshman, she earned a starting role as a middle blocker for Coach Vickie Boye. She wasn’t even sure she’d make the varsity team. Mindy then played her final three seasons for Head Coach Diane Mendenhall. As a freshman, Mindy was called out by accomplished teammate Stacy Stuckenschmidt to be more vocal and assertive on the court. By her senior year, Mindy was the volleyball team’s MVP.
Mindy thrived in the face of a hectic schedule. As she says, “It really was perfect. I like to stay busy, and I like to have something that makes me stay busy. There was no fall ball for softball and there was no spring ball for volleyball at the time. My senior year it started a little bit. The coaches knew I would be playing both. It really worked out well. Instead of playing volleyball in the spring, I was moving into softball.”
As Mindy was excelling athletically, she grew immensely as a person in her time at Concordia. As part of her speech at the 2014 Concordia Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony, Mindy emphasized how she had been transformed in her faith walk. That was more significant than any game she won or no-hitter she pitched.
“My speech was more about how Concordia was such a blessing to me,” Mindy said. “I grew up in a family that didn’t go to church. We believed in God but didn’t necessarily act on it. Between Coach Boye and Coach Pruess talking about faith and your faith journey, I went and got confirmed that summer. Greg did go to church, so we started going together. It definitely changed my life. I definitely wouldn’t have had that without Concordia. If I had gone to a state school, I probably wouldn't have found God and that personal relationship with God. It changed my life.”
Mindy knew she found the right place for her when she dealt with the loss of her mother in the fall semester of 1998. Recently married to Greg at the time, Mindy was able to lean upon a strong support system. Coach Mendenhall mentioned that she wouldn’t necessarily recommend that a player be married as a college athlete, but the situation was perfect for Mindy and the circumstances she was dealt.
“I was going back and forth (between home and Concordia),” Mindy said. “I lived with my mom for a few weeks. When I’d come back to school, people that I didn’t even know would say they were praying for me and would ask how my mom was doing. It showed how much Concordia cares for each member of the community. The professors were excellent. It was back before computers, so I was mailing all my assignments in. The professors were amazing. Everyone helped out and made it so low stress for me with school. All the students and faculty were very kind. They let me know that they were thinking of me and praying for me. There was a bigger picture outside of softball and volleyball.”
It’s the bigger picture that stays with Mindy as she reminisces about life as a Bulldog. It included team van rides, softball spring break adventures, a volleyball trip to California, meeting her husband and spiritual and personal growth. The statistics may be evidence of her being the best athlete in the family, but the experiences can’t be quantified.
Says Mindy of her time at Concordia, “It opened up a new view of life and what was important in life. It brought me back to what I was most thankful for. Sports are sports. They are fun. That’s the big takeaway that I had.”
NOTE: Mindy currently serves as an elementary teacher at Milford Public Schools. Mindy and her husband Greg (also a teacher at Milford Public Schools) have four children: Nathan, Tanya, Ashlynn and Jarrett.