Dylan Bundy can throw 100 mph and is likely to be a high MLB Draft pick

Dylan Bundy knew the grin. He's seen it more than a few times in his two years pitching at Owasso (Okla.). But the smirk on assistant coach Steve Holleman's face hinted at something a little different this day. Something a little special.

Bundy was on his way to his usual postgame routine April 16, first hitting the coach's office for the weight room key, when Holleman poked his head out wearing that interesting grin … "Hey, Dylan," Holleman said, in his slow, smooth Southern accent, "you hit 100 mph today."

"Cool," replied Bundy, raising a quick smile as he grabbed the weight room key.

Then off he went for a 25-minute run on the treadmill. Bundy didn't scream at the ceiling with fists clenched, or punch the walls. In fact, you wouldn't be able to tell at all that the 6-foot-1, 195-pound senior right-handed fireballer was told he hit 100 mph for the first time in his life.



It's just the way Bundy is: An exceptionally grounded 18-year-old whose maturity on the mound belies his age, as does his otherworldly pitching skills. Little fazes him — even when he's told he's done something he's waited his whole life to do — like hit the century mark.

Bundy is experiencing one of those seasons for the ages. Though that's not too surprising, considering Bundy is one of Oklahoma's high school pitchers for the ages. He's one of the best — if not, the best — high school pitcher in the country and he should go anywhere from second to 14th overall in the Major League Draft on June 8, according to some projections.

Through May 6, Bundy, a University of Texas commit, was 10-0 with an unfathomable 0.22 ERA (and 0.36 WHIP). What's even more mind boggling is that he's thrown 147 strikeouts in 64 innings and yielded just five walks - five walks.

He's surrendered two earned runs this season, given up a mere 18 hits, mostly of the bloop-find-a-safe-place-to-land variety, and has tossed one no-hitter and six one-hitters.

Bundy is a major reason why the Rams are 34-1 overall this season and ranked No. 1 in the country in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Baseball Rankings.

A transfer from 3A Sperry to 6A Owasso his junior year, Bundy has proven to be just as dominant at the largest level of Oklahoma high school baseball as he was at Sperry, which he helped win a pair of 3A state championships his freshman year along with older brother Bobby (an eight-round selection by Baltimore in the 2008 draft), and as a sophomore.



This season, Dylan has been clocked at 100 four times in one game. He's averaging just above 95 mph a game. The first fastball — and second pitch of the game — against Edmond North on April 16 broke the magic threshold. The twist is that one Major League scout charting Bundy erroneously jotted down the first pitch was a fastball, clocked at 89. A former Owasso player, who tapped the scout on the shoulder to let him know that the first pitch was actually Bundy's cutter, corrected him.

Bundy's next pitch hit the catcher's mitt with a thunderous thump! It's the pitch that caused the scouts to smile and nod approval, gave Edmond North hitters a tangible indication of the long day ahead, and put the grin on Holleman's face.

As for Bundy, he didn't mind hitting 100. He sent text messages to his brother, his family and some close friends. Then hopped on the treadmill to continue his routine.

"I think that's just me," Bundy said with a little laugh. "I don't get excited about too many things. I don't know why, I just don't. But the day I was told I hit 100, you could say that put a smile on my face. I could tell something was up by the grin on coach Holleman when I asked for the key. He just said, 'Dylan, you hit 100 mph today.' I thought about it for a second, and then went to the weight room like I usually do. I had to keep up with my routine and treat it as no big deal."

What's made Bundy such a big deal to Major League scouts is his unrelenting work ethic. He squats 500 pounds, and leg presses 1,200 pounds. He's a workout freak, dedicated to a routine that's kept him both strong and healthy.

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Continue reading{PAGEBREAK}Once prior to a 9:30 a.m. doubleheader earlier this season, Bundy was already running on the treadmill at Owasso. He'd been there since 5:30 in the morning. This came after throwing the night before in an away game when the Owasso team bus didn't pull up to the school until around midnight.

He worked out on Mother's Day. He does some things he doesn't really like to do, though he knows he has to, like running on the treadmill for 20 to 25 minutes after a start. He won't argue or complain about it, and he's never told to do it. He just does.

Owasso won its 30th-straight in a 7-0 whitewash of Enid on May 6, behind Bundy's 17-strikeout performance. The victory sent the Rams to the Oklahoma 6A state tournament, where they've appeared in the state finals 13 of the past 14 years.

After beating Enid, it sent Bundy back to the treadmill.

"Dylan does character things, because he's a character kid and that's part of his makeup," Owasso pitching coach Jason Stump said. "It's the reason why his last four fastballs against Enid were 96 mph. What a lot of people don't realize is that Dylan's a starter who's never been taken out of a game. He's thrown as many as 100 pitches. He pitches 95-percent all of the time. It looks high effort, because he throws so hard. It really isn't. Dylan's mechanics are just about flawless. He's at the level of I'd say guys around 23, 24 years old that are throwing pro ball."



Owasso head coach Larry Turner is a high school coaching legend. He's in his 29th season as coach of the Rams and is nearing his 900th career coaching victory. He's made Owasso a statewide baseball powerhouse, winning three of the last four Oklahoma 6A titles before the Rams' string of three-straight (2007-09) was interrupted last year by Tulsa Union.

Turner has seen his fair share of great high school players.

"I've never seen anyone like Dylan in person; not on the mound like him, ever," Turner said. "A number of scouts I've spoken to told me he could be a fifth starter in the big leagues right now. No, he's not 6-foot-4, but he throws like it. His command and his velocity are tremendous. The great part of it is that Dylan gets it. You have kids that have a rare ability like his and they get caught up in all the hype.

"Not Dylan. He doesn't think he's better than anyone else. He's the kind of star player that helps his team, because his work ethic is so contagious. He pushes our other guys. They all want to get better because they see how hard he works. Dylan is just another guy pulling on the rope and that is refreshing now a days. It's why he's pretty special."

Bundy knows June 8 is nearing, though what presently motivates him is getting a third state title in four years, and the Rams' fourth in the last five years. He's adjusted well from the no-stoplight town of Sperry to the large Owasso, where Bundy has gone from being a part of a graduating class of roughly 80 to close to 600 at Owasso.

"I've been here two years and I'm still meeting kids for the first time," Bundy said. "What's funny is that Sperry and Owasso are only 15 minutes apart. You cross two highways and you're into the next town. Sperry was shrinking and my family decided to move while we could. And here at Owasso, they've really welcomed me like one of their own. I feel real comfortable here. It was a good move."



Though he's a switch-hitter who's hit 10 homers and is batting .494 (46-for-93), Bundy is projected to be a pitcher. The family is represented by the Jay Franklin Agency, which brokered Bobby's deal with Baltimore.

According to Turner, Dylan has received heavy interest from the Seattle Mariners, who have the second overall pick. He's also had interest from the Arizona Diamondbacks, who have the third and seventh picks in the top 10, as well as the Orioles, who already have one Bundy and select fourth, and Kansas City, which chooses fifth.

As for Dylan, who's worked his whole life to reach this point, "I really don't get too caught up in it. Sometimes, when I'm alone, I may think about it. But I don't want to get my emotions too high and filled with expectations.

"It's why I try not to think too much where I'm going to go. I believe I've worked hard for 16 years to be a major league player. But for now, it probably won't grip me until the day before the draft. Right now, my goals are simple. I want to enjoy my senior year and I want to go out a winner. I want to win another state championship."

If that happens, Bundy is sure to be met with a pile of grinning faces – and he'll know the reason why.