Megan Kleist

Kleist High-Five vs Louisiana State 2.15.20

Position:
Pitcher
Height:
5-11
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Appleton, Wis.
High School:
Kimberly HS
Prev School:
Oregon

2020 (Senior)
Was a preseason All-Sun Belt selection and member of the USA Softball Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List ... worked alongside Summer Ellyson to steer the Ragin' Cajuns pitching efforts, both receiving 12 starts ... made 16 total appearances in her lone season spent at Louisiana ... held foes to a .182 average and 50 hits over 72-2/3 innings worked in the circle ... posted a 7-5 mark and 2.31 ERA ... picked up a team-leading two saves, which gave her at least one for each year of her collegiate career ... tossed two shutouts ... eight complete game efforts led the pitching staff ... recorded wins over nationally ranked foes Louisiana State and Texas ... nationally ranked in hits allowed per seven innings, saves, strikeouts and strikeout-to-walk ratio ... seven times recorded five or more strikeouts, accumulating 70 total strikeouts in the COVID-19 shortened season ... strikeouts total pushed her career figure past 500 (finished at 545) ... turned in seven appearances of scoreless softball, and limited foes to one earned run or fewer in 10 of 16 appearances ... in seven of the 12 games started, yielded one earned run or less ... turned in five complete game efforts of three hits or less allowed ... surrendered no more than five hits in all but two of the 16 appearances ... earned a save and a win on Opening Day (Feb. 7) ... tossed the final inning to lock up the season opener vs. Ball State, then turned right around and struck out eight over five innings in a shutout of UTSA ... the Opening Day performance marked the first of seven straight outings of one earned run or less allowed to start the season ... notched a would-be, season-high of 11 strikeouts vs. North Texas in final appearance of opening weekend ... struck out half of the batters faced on Feb. 14 vs. North Dakota, fanning nine total in the game ... picked up the win in the highly anticipated matchup with No. 7 Louisiana State at Lamson Park, holding the Tigers to four hits over seven innings in handing Gerry Glasco his 100th career win as a collegiate head coach ... struck out nine and carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning vs. No. 8 Oklahoma State at the UAB Blazer Classic (Feb. 21) ... out-dueled Miranda Elish in Game 1 of the Feb. 25 doubleheader at No. 3 Texas, scattering six hits over seven innings of the 3-2 victory ... retired three straight batters, after the first two of the inning reached, in the seventh inning to collect the save in the win over No. 6 Florida on Feb. 29 which evened up the weekend series in Gainesville ... was the pitcher of record as Louisiana extended its streak of consecutive Sun Belt series won to 56 straight, carrying a no-hitter into the fourth inning as the Ragin' Cajuns run-ruled Coastal Carolina to claim the series finale on March 8 ... in Game 2 of the doubleheader vs. Sam Houston State on March 11 at Lamson Park, struck out six over five innings and crafted a no-hitter in her final appearance as a Ragin' Cajun.

Prior to Louisiana
Played the first three seasons of her career at Oregon ... 2018 NFCA First Team All-American and the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year ... also claimed Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors, was awarded All-American accolades in 2017 and was a NFCA All-Pacific Region selection three times ... during her three-year stay in Oregon, won at least 15 games each year on the way to accumulating a 59-18 mark, posted a 1.60 ERA over 477 innings pitched and limited foes to a .207 average ... delivered a second consecutive 20-win campaign during the 2018 season, crafting a 21-7 record with a 1.32 ERA and 221 strikeouts against just 21 walks in 179-2/3 innings pitched ... tossed a no-hitter against eventual national champion Florida State, pitched a one-hitter against then-No. 2 Oklahoma and sported a 12-2 mark with a 1.19 ERA against the rigorous Pac-12 schedule ... ranked Top 25 nationally in every major statistical category at conclusion of the 2018 season ... as a sophomore, recorded a 21-5 mark, allowed three earned runs or less in each of her 29 starts and led the Pac-12 with nine shutouts ... in her collegiate debut season (2016), she appeared in 29 games with 22 starts, pitched six complete games, earned two saves and ranked third in the NCAA for fewest walks allowed (12 in 127-2/3 innings).

High School
Rated the No. 40 recruit in the nation by FloSoftball...Named the Post-Crescent player of the year, first team all-state and a first team all-Fox Valley League choice as a senior...Battled injury in her final high school season and did not pitch, but moved to second base and hit .607 (51 hits in 84 at-bats) with seven home runs, 13 doubles, 39 runs and 31 RBIs...Named Div. I State Player of the Year as a junior in 2014…Finished her junior year at Kimberly HS with a 16-2 record, 0.89 ERA and 140 strikeouts…Threw every pitch of the longest game in Wisconsin state high school playoff history, hurling 245 pitches in 15 innings to clinch a 6-5 win over Westosha Central HS in the championship game…Exceptional at the plate as well, hitting .441 with four homers and 28 RBIs…First team all-state and first team all-Fox Valley as a junior.