Future University of Illinois softball star continuing to showcase her talents in high school
NIANTIC, Ill. (BVM) — She may only be a junior, but Daleny Chumbley has already put up some impressive numbers as a star pitcher for the Tri-City/Sangamon Valley High School softball team. With her college commitment to the University of Illinois already locked up, Chumbley is focused on continuing to improve her craft over the next two seasons.
After starting out with tee ball in her youth, Chumbley began playing competitive softball around 11 years old with a local club team, joining many of her friends who were playing. However, Chumbley would not actually get to play with most of her friends because she was on the “C team” while they were on the “A team.”
Albeit frustrating, Chumbley remained persistent. One of her biggest role models in life, her father, is who she credits for keeping her spirits up.
“When I was on the ‘C team’ and all my friends were on the ‘A team,’ I almost wanted to quit softball altogether because I just wanted to play with my friends,” Chumbley said. “But my dad said, ‘If you want to play with your friends, you need to work harder.’ He’s what’s given me my determination and he’s just such a hard worker and all-around great person.”
As she kept getting better and better with the hard work she was putting in, Chumbley grew an instant passion for the sport.
“I just fell in love with it,” Chumbley said about softball. “It’s just always been something that’s been a big part of my life and it’s always been there for me no matter what.”
Since her youth, the 16-year-old has become a star pitcher. Her left-handed delivery tends to produce a different spin on the ball, giving hitters a true challenge. Perhaps her best pitch, the drop curve, also earns Chumbley numerous ground balls and strikeouts.
After leaving her local league, Chumbley began playing travel ball. She would eventually go on to play for the Midland Magic for three years, and currently plays for Illinois Force. The experience she has gained from playing travel softball is expected to benefit Chumbley greatly at the next level.
“It’s been a great experience,” Chumbley said. “The people I’ve met have allowed me to play with some of my best friends and I’ve gotten to travel the country and see things most kids will never get a chance to see or accomplish. We play teams where every girl on the team is committed to a DI school. Facing those hitters definitely helps prepare me for my high school and collegiate careers.”
Chumbley herself is one of those Division I softball commits, and she will be taking her talents to the University of Illinois after she graduates in 2022.
The star pitcher had been attending camps at the university for several years, and had an idea that the Fighting Illini could come calling. On the first official day of the recruiting process, Chumbley got several text messages within minutes, one being from Illinois.
Many other Big Ten and SEC schools showed interest in Chumbley. But after frequent discussions with the coaching staff in Champaign, Ill., Chumbley decided to make her official decision.
“I knew it was a possibility, but I didn’t actually believe that I would be able to play DI softball,” Chumbley explained. “Not many girls from around here have gone to play at Illinois. The fact that it is so close to home, I can represent my home state, the coaching staff, academics and the family vibe of the team were big things for me.”
With her spring softball season canceled earlier this year, Chumbley has only had one season on the diamond for Tri-City/Sangamon Valley. Going into that first season, the 16-year-old wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but she quickly became her team’s No. 1 pitcher.
During the 2019 season, Chumbley emerged as a true star with a 0.95 ERA over 104 innings, resulting in a 15-2 record. Allowing just 65 hits and 10 walks, the freshman pitcher would strike out a remarkable 157 batters.
“It was really, really fun,” Chumbley said about her freshman season. “It was a really awesome experience just to be able to play.”
Of course, being able to play was not something Chumbley had the opportunity to do last season, but she hopes next spring will be different.
“The hardest part about last year was that we were practicing for two or three weeks,” Chumbley said. “But then it got canceled and that was sad because we had already worked so hard to get ready for the season and we would have had a really good team last year. I hope we get to have a season this year because I just love softball and we can finally show off all the hard work everyone has been putting in.”
Provided there is a softball season in Illinois next spring, Chumbley hopes to improve on her impressive freshman year stats, while also helping her team to advance past regionals this time around.
By the time her high school career is all said and done, Chumbley hopes to break the 500-career strikeout barrier. As she then heads to Illinois, the 16-year-old pitcher will look to “put herself on the map” in the Big Ten, while helping her team to a conference championship.
At Illinois, Chumbley will study kinesiology and hopes to become a pediatric occupational therapist. In addition to her stardom on the softball field, the pitcher has shined in the classroom over the years, and her school work is one of the most important aspects of her future.
“My parents have always pushed me to get my homework done,” Chumbley said. “If you are failing, you can’t play softball. I just work hard, have a good work ethic and I put a lot of pressure on myself to get good grades.”
Post-college, Chumbley would welcome a professional softball career or potentially playing for USA Softball someday. She also hopes to coach or become a grad assistant somewhere, aiming to stick with the sport throughout her life.
No matter where her future takes her, it will be in large part due to the support of her parents and family members. Chumbley’s father was the one who got her to stick with softball, and she credits her mother as well for always being there for her and helping get her to where she is today.
“My parents are the most supportive and all my friends say they are the best softball parents you can ever have,” Chumbley said. “My dad has always pushed me to be better so that has definitely helped and my mom has always made sure I have everything I need. My parents are so supportive of me and I’m really lucky to have that.”
