National Highlight Reel: Zach Fish is new Michigan home run king

Zach Fish is experiencing an amazing power surge as he closes out his brilliant baseball career at Gull Lake (Richland, Mich.).

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."

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.

Continue reading{PAGEBREAK}FOOTBALL: 51 BLOUNT PLAYERS SUSPENDED
The Alabama High School Athletic Association has suspended 51 football players from Blount (Mobile, Ala.) for the first two games of 2011 due to a fight that broke out against Sidney Lanier (Montgomery, Ala.) during the Ben Harris Jamboree on May 21. The school also was fined and each player must perform 24 hours of community service.

* Rising senior linebacker Noor Davis is transferring from The Villages Charter (The Villages, Fla.) to Leesburg (Fla.), according to the Orlando Sentinel. The 6-4, 220-pounder, who has committed to Stanford University, averaged nearly 10 tackles as a junior.

* Callaway (Hogansville, Ga.) tight end Ricky Parks has committed to Auburn University over Georgia and Alabama, according to the Birmingham News. The 6-3, 230-pound rising senior is rated as the No. 89 player in the country, according to CBS/MaxPreps recruiting analyst Tom Lemming.

* Washington State University has received a commitment from rising senior quarterback Austin Apodaca of Silver Creek (Longmont, Colo.), according to the Denver Post. Apodaca (6-3, 185) threw for 2,367 yards and 25 touchdowns, with just 11 interceptions, last fall.

BASKETBALL: POWERHOUSE LOOMS IN UTAH
Utah's leading scorer as a junior, 6-1 Jaden Jackson, is transferring from Skyline (Salt Lake City) to West Jordan (Utah), according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Jackson, who averaged 24.9 points last season, will be joining forces with another super rising senior, 6-6 Jordan Loveridge, who averaged 23.8.



* Mike Doherty has been hired as head boys basketball coach at Newberg (Ore.). During stops at eight previous schools he has won an Oregon-record 835 games and three state championships.

* The Birmingham News reports that shooting guard Jordan Price has made a commitment to Auburn University. The 6-5, 218-pounder averaged 19.1 points as a junior at Southwest DeKalb (Decatur, Ga.).

* Combo guard Jordan Roper has committed to Clemson University, according to The State. The 6-1 rising senior averaged 20.3 points last season for Irmo (Columbia, S.C.).

TRACK: CABRAL LOWERS OWN TIMES
Agoura (Calif.) star Johnathan Cabral lowered his nation-leading marks by winning the 110-meter hurdles in 13.41 seconds and the 300 hurdles in 35.76 seconds – both career bests – during the prestigious 52nd annual Golden West Invitational in Sacramento, Calif.

* Bronxville (N.Y.) sensation Mary Cain set a national freshman record by winning the 1,500-meter run in 4:17.84 during the New York state meet in Caledonia, N.Y. Cornwall Central (New Windsor, N.Y.) senior Aisling Cuffe, who has the nation's fastest times in the 1,600 and 3,200, was second in 4:19.83.

* Michael Wegner, who will attend Loyola Blakefield (Towson, Md.) in the fall, set a national record for 14-year-old boys when he won the 5,000-meter race in 15:17.9 during the Jack Griffin Mid Atlantic Classic in Hagerstown, Md. The previous record (15:46.8) had stood since 1979.



* West Windsor-Plainsboro North (Plainsboro, N.J.) senior Joe Rosa was on pace to break the New Jersey 3,200-meter state record during the Meet of Champions with one lap to go when lightning halted the meet. He was unable to compete when the meet was rescheduled due to other commitments.

Continue reading{PAGEBREAK}TENNIS: BOYER ROLLS IN MINNESOTA
Forest Lake (Minn.) junior Dusty Boyer defeated Eric Frueh of Century (Rochester, Minn.), 6-2, 6-3, to win his third consecutive Class 2A state singles championship. He edged 2007 champion Wyatt McCoy of Mounds View (Arden Hills, Minn.), 6-4, 6-4, in the semifinals. Next year Boyer will try to become the state's first four-time champion.

* Another junior won the big one in New Jersey. Jonathan Carcionne of Ramapo (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) defeated defending champion Michael Lippens of Shore Regional (West Long Branch, N.J.), 7-5, 6-2, to capture the state singles crown. Carcione has a 95-2 career record, including 33-0 this year. Lippens had won his last 53 matches.
 
GOLF: POSTON SETS 2 STATE RECORDS
Hickory (N.C.) senior J.T. Poston set North Carolina records by shooting a 63 on the first day and a two-day total of 131 while capturing the Class 3A state championship for the second year in a row. He will attend Western Carolina University.

* Taylor Zoller of North Charleston, S.C., shot 9-under-par 207 to win the PING Phoenix Junior in Phoenix. Jenny Hahn of Henderson, Nev., won the girls title - after a one-hole playoff - with 7-under-par 209. The field included players from 13 states and three foreign countries.

* Maddie Szeryk of Allen, Texas, shot 2-over-par 218, but then had to go six extra holes to nip Jordan Lippetz of Bradenton, Fla., with a 3-foot par putt to win the Signsational Signs Junior at The Woodlands, Texas. Vincent Martino of Southlake, Texas, won the boys title with 1-over-par 217.

SOCCER: NORTH STAFFORD WINS TITLE
North Stafford (Stafford, Va.) nipped Deep Run (Glen Allen, Va.), 1-0, to win the Class AAA boys state soccer championship. One day earlier, the Wolverines had stunned the nation's No. 1-ranked team, Cox (Virginia Beach, Va.), 2-0, in the semifinals. Cox had gone 51-0-2 in its previous 53 games and was the two-time defending state champion.



* Tom DeMatteis has retired following an outstanding career as soccer coach at St. Mark's (Wilmington, Del.). He won 356 matches and 11 state titles with the boys and 223 matches and four titles with the girls. All are state records.

POTPOURRI
Bridgewater-Raritan (Bridgewater, N.J.) nipped Summit (N.J.), 6-5, to win the New Jersey Lacrosse Tournament of Champions and end a state-record 68-game winning streak for the two-time defending champs.