Video: Sylvia Shromoff Throws 72 MPH at the State Fair & Becomes a Viral Sensation

Imagine you do something so impressive that you get a prize for it, even if it’s just a stuffed animal pig. But what if your accomplishment was filmed, gets put on social media and subsequently garners over 24 million views!

That’s exactly what happened to high school senior Sylvia Shromorr, a 6-foot lefty pitcher who has signed to play at South Dakota State University.

Sylvia was at the Minnesota State Fair held in Minneapolis this past September and recalls how this soon-to-be social media sensation began.

“At the state fair,” she begins, “I walked past the overhand throw game and decided to give it a try, but I was going to pitch it underhand instead.”

“After I got one warm-up pitch, I threw the next one as hard and as fast as I could. The fair worker yelled out ‘72 mph’ and I was so shocked and excited! I did not think I was going to throw it that fast with only one warm-up pitch.”

Here’s the clip that became a viral sensation (note: if opening on a laptop, click on the video and then open to full screen)…

Justifiably proud of her speed, she had no idea her accomplishment would go any farther than the space of that fair booth.

“I got to write my name and mph on the leaderboard and had the top mph for females,” the high school senior recalls. “Thankfully, my friend was able to catch this awesome experience on video. I sent it to my pitching coach right away for her to see and she decided to post it on the Instagram and TikTok of Strike Zone Sports (a softball training facility in Eagan, Minn.)”

20 MILLION INSTAGRAM VIEWS!!!! pic.twitter.com/hkWgo6LDBN

— Strike Zone Sports (@SZS_MN) September 26, 2023

The clip is only 6-7 seconds, but everything is right there to experience in the video: the lefty standing like she’s in the circle, accelerating to throw the ball underhanded, the booth lead shouting out:

“72 (mph)! Lord almighty… how old are you?”

And that was it… Sylvia was happy with the speed but had no idea that one pitch at a state fair would draw so much attention.

“We didn’t think much would come from this video, but the Instagram post got over 24 million views and the TikTok got 1.8 million views! I didn’t even have to send the video to anyone because they all saw it on social media. This was such a fun experience, and I am definitely going to do the fair throw next year!”

We asked if the man in the throwing booth said anything about her throwing underhanded rather than throwing overhanded… like a baseball pitcher.

“The fair worker did not have an issue with me throwing underhand,” she explains, “but he was kind of surprised when he saw me pitch my warm-up underhand.”

And her award for her significant achievement?

“I got to pick from prizes that winners got, and I picked a pink pig stuffed animal,” she laughs. “People got a prize for participating but they were not as good as the winning prizes!”

That prize, however, pales in comparison to the bigger prize that the tall lefty received recently: a scholarship to play softball at South Dakota State University, a DI program located in Brookings, S.D. which competes in the Summit League conference.

“I committed to South Dakota State University back in December 2022,” the athlete explains.

“I am extremely happy with my decision to play for Coach Kristina McSweeney and the rest of her staff! Getting the opportunity to play Division 1 softball is a dream come true and I am so thankful I get to be on this journey as a Jackrabbit!”

I am so happy to announce I will be continuing my academic and athletic career at SDSU! I can’t thank everyone enough who have helped me achieve my dream! Go Jacks! 💙🐰💛@GoJacksSB @KristinaMcSwee6 @JoshBertke @Bgomezolson @BTurner_75 @sara_moulton9 @TGA_Claire @topgunfastpitch pic.twitter.com/uUDFD2o6Xl

— Sylvia Shromoff (@SylviaShromoff) December 4, 2022

What was it, we asked, that made South Dakota State your school of choice?

“I think I was drawn to SDSU because of Coach McSweeney,” Syliva responds. “She has this amazing and contagious energy that uplifts and pushes everyone to be the greatest version of themselves. I am so excited for the next four years to plays as a Jackrabbit!”

The Class of 2024 grad even knows what she wants to do post college.

“I am planning on majoring in Sports Management and possibly wanting to become a manager for a sports team or franchise in the future. I am considering minoring in Journalism as well because I enjoy writing and being able to go deeper into detail on many different topics.”

Still, she has another summer of softball to go and the Shakopee (Minn.) High senior is excited to once again compete with her Top Gun 24/25 club team.

“I decided to join Top Gun back in August of 2022, and it has been an outstanding experience, to say the least,” Sylvia adds.

“Top Gun National Director, Bob Turner, has helped so many athletes including me achieve their dream of playing softball at the collegiate level,” the prize-winning pitcher concludes. “He is the greatest and you cannot thank him enough for everything he does for the sport of softball.”

— Brentt Eads

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