Tanner Chleborad, a senior at Rapid City Stevens, signed with Washington State University on Tuesday at Post 22's indoor facility. (Left Amy Chleborad), (Right Brian Chleborad) (Photo Jake Nordbye)

RAPID CITY–The great plains of South Dakota seem like a world away from the rolling hills of eastern Washington, and Tanner Chleborad will be playing against the most elite players in the country in the PAC-10, but baseball is still baseball. And on the day Washington State officially signed Post 22 standout pitcher Tanner Chleborad, he was quick to point to the people that got him there.

“I have a great support group and I couldn’t have done any of this without them,” said Chleborad. “My family, my friends, Post 22, Big Sky, everyone has helped me so much. It’s just amazing.”

70 plus people showed up to Rapid City Post 22’s indoor facility to watch Chleborad sign on the dotted line with Washington State as he sat next to his parents Amy and Brian. The group included his closest friends, the current Post 22 coaching staff, and former coaches and teachers.

Tanner Chleborad gets a hug from his friend and Stevens standout wide receiver Alex Litzen at the signing ceremony Wednesday. (Photo Sam Hurst)

“It’s exciting for Tanner to get an opportunity that a lot of different people worked hard to provide him,” said Tanner’s father, Brian. “It’s a big deal for Post 22 baseball and for Rapid City. We’re very proud of him today.”

In 2010, Chleborad was a key contributor to Post 22’s state championship and he also won the only game he pitched in at the national regional tournament. He went 11-3 with a 2.84 ERA on the mound last summer. He also exhibited exceptional control striking out 80 batters while only walking 12.

“This just doesn’t happen. When a kid gets recruited by a top university, it is for a lot of different reasons” said Post 22 head coach Dave Ploof. “He’s got a lot of talent, but that alone won’t get you there. He knows how to use it by focusing, working hard, and getting better. We’re looking forward to seeing him go on to play in college, but before he does he’s got one more year here and we want that to be his best year on the mound for Post 22.”

Last season, the Cougars made their second consecutive trip to the NCAA Championship Regional Tournament and were ranked in the top-25 nationally. They finished with a 37-22 record, and were third in the Pacific-10 Conference. In 2009, WSU had 19 conference wins which tied a school record and was good enough for second place, two games back of Pac-10 champion Arizona State. The 11-win improvement in conference play from 2008 to 2009 set a school record. Chleborad told IDS on Wednesday he expects to be in the starting rotation in his freshman season at WSU.

“I need to gain some weight, of course, but they have high expectations for me,” said Chleborad. “I have to prove myself and earn it. So this spring and summer I need to work on my fundamentals and the mental aspect of the game.”