In July 2023, School Resource Officer Leslie Malerich was inducted into the Florida State Hall of Fame. Malerich has dedicated the better part of her life to softball, something most do not know about her.
Malerich started playing when she was little, having watched her sister play. Malerich started off as a bat girl but quickly became engrossed with softball. As a little girl, Malerich wanted all of the attention on her, which was the main reason she started pitching. As she started pitching more, her parents and siblings realized that she had a natural talent.
“I was the baby of the family, and I needed to have all of the attention on me. I noticed that as a pitcher you get to be involved in every single play,” Malerich said. “My parents noticed that I had some talent. They started sending me to pitching camps. I ultimately started teaching myself proper mechanics, then my coaches helped me as I got older.”
Malerich ultimately played throughout high school and was scouted by multiple colleges. She ended up committing to Florida State because it allowed her to get away from the weather and allowed her to gain confidence.
“Florida State saw something in me that I had never seen. All I knew was that I could throw fast and I had a nice change-up. They really brought out my confidence, and helped me develop as the pitcher that I am now,” Malerich said.
After her college career, Malerich tried out for Italy’s Olympic team and played from 2002-2008. She retired from the Olympics in 2008 after it was taken off of the Olympic sports roster.
In June 2023, Malerich was alerted that she had been nominated to be in the Florida State Hall of Fame. Malerich was pleasantly surprised by the award, not having expected the honor.
“I never understood why everyone made such a big deal out of my playing. I just played softball because I loved and enjoyed it,” Malerich said.
Malerich values all of the things that softball has taught her and the experiences that it allowed her to experience. Softball brought Malerich friends and relationships that she would have never had, all because they shared one goal- to be great.
