Zach Fish is experiencing an amazing power surge as he closes out his brilliant baseball career at Gull Lake (Richland, Mich.).
Zach Fish has 24 home runs thisseason, tops in Michigan history.He's holding the balls fromhis last three homers.
Photo by Jack Sizer
The 6-foot, 205-pound senior catcher hammered three home runs during a two-game Division 2 regional sweep on Saturday to run his season total to a state-record 24. The previous record of 23 was shared by Brighton's Drew Henson, who was USA Today's National Player of the Year in 1998, and Jim Willison of Morley-Stanwood.
In his last 15 games, he has homered 16 times and driven in 48 runs.
"It feels amazing," Fish said. "I'm in a zone. The confidence is just there. I just worked really, really hard in the offseason. I changed my swing a little bit (working with Clint Wagner). I went to a two-hand finish (leaving both hands on the bat). It makes me stay on the ball longer more in the power zone."
Coach Bill Blakely is amazed at his star's statistics, because no records were anticipated during the preseason.
"He's been on a streak – I've never seen anything like it," Blakely said. "He's not hitting cheapies. He has incredible bat speed and is extremely strong."
Just one of three senior starters on a 37-1 team, Fish has driven in 78 runs – just five short of tying another state record held by the dynamic Henson. He is batting a lofty .563 with 14 doubles and has scored 60 runs. He also has drawn 27 walks and struck out only 13 times.
Behind the plate, he is equally dynamic. He can get the ball to second base in an outstanding 1.82 seconds, thanks to his 92 mph fastball. He has thrown out 16 runners, with just seven being able to steal.
The Blue Devils have an impressive pregame infield drill in which Fish ends up rifling the ball to each base twice. That intimidation factor discourages most runners from even considering an attempt to steal.
As Fish puts it, "If you're going to steal, you better get a really good jump and run really fast."
Zach Fish may forgo college and headto professional baseball after hisprep career ends.
Photo by Duane Fish
Fish is probably one of the most versatile baseball players in the country. From ages 7 to 14, he did a lot of catching because of his powerful arm. But when he began playing for Central (Kalamazoo, Mich.) as a freshman, he was asked to switch to shortstop – a position once played there by Derek Jeter. He held down the position for two years and batted .423 as a sophomore.
Then he transferred to Gull Lake as a junior.
"I knew the Good Lord was looking out for me when they moved into our district," Blakely said. "He is just a true athlete. He had a spectacular junior year. He set school records for hits (58), RBIs (55) and home runs (11)."
Fish also batted a career-best .472 and used his 6.9 speed for 60 yards to steal 26 bases. In addition, he compiled a 6-0 pitching record with six saves while striking out 49 in 26 innings. Last summer he played the outfield for the powerhouse Midland Redskins, based in Cincinnati. They won the Under-18 World Wood Bat national championship in Charleston, S.C.
"That was an awesome feeling," the humble teenager recalled. "Just having that dog pile on home plate, there is no better feeling."
In December Fish had another great experience when he represented his state in the Power Showcase High School Home Run Derby in Phoenix. He produced the second-longest homer (430 feet) with a wood bat and the seventh-longest (470 feet) with an aluminum bat.
Having graduated his starting catcher last year, Blakely asked Fish to switch from shortstop for his senior year. Catching was like coming home for him and appears to be his future due to his great arm and above-average speed for the position.
Fish's only goal for his final year has been to win the state championship. The Blue Devils are just three games away, starting with the Division 2 quarterfinals against Catholic Central (Grand Rapids, Mich.) today at Hope College. The semifinals and finals are slated for Friday and Saturday, respectively, in Battle Creek.
Pitchers may be walking him more than ever, but he isn't going to swing at bad pitches, because he has an outstanding junior, Lucas Hamelink, batting cleanup right behind him. The 6-1, 180-pound third baseman is batting .390 and has driven in 49 runs.
Fish, who had a 3.3 GPA, has received a scholarship to Oklahoma State University where he plans to major in psychology and minor in special education. However, he also was drafted in the 24th round by the Texas Rangers.
After the state tournament is over, he confided, "If the (Texas) offer is right, I'd definitely take it, because my dream is to play professional baseball."
* Last week's Major League Baseball Draft selected a lot of famous names, some of them particularly interesting. For example, the Chicago Cubs took
Trevor Gretzky, son of hockey great Wayne Gretzky; the Baltimore Orioles took collegian Johnny Reuttiger, nephew of Rudy Reuttiger (the movie Rudy); and the Milwaukee Brewers chose
Trent Boras, son of famed agent Scott Boras. Wonder who Trent's agent will be...
* Despite the suspension of legendary coach Steve Mandl for alleged recruiting,
Washington (New York City) defeated defending champion Tottenville (Staten Island, N.Y.), 4-2, to win its third PSAL Class A city championship. Interim coach Nick Carbone guided the Trojans to an outstanding 45-2 record.
* Comedian and talk-show host George Lopez is going to buy rings for the Los Angeles City Section Division I champion
San Fernando (Calif.) baseball team, according to Eric Sondheimer of the Los Angeles Times. Lopez played baseball briefly for San Fernando and has not forgotten his roots.
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