California's Mitty crowned national softball champ; New Bern, Sveinsson garner headlines at Nike Outdoor Nationals.
Apparently there’s never a dull moment in Iowa prep baseball, which annually is played during the summer. Not long ago an umpire ejected an entire crowd.
Last week Norwalk pitcher Matt Dermody faced just 18 batters and struck out every one of them. There’s no telling how many he might have fanned because the 10-0 victory over South Tama was halted at the end of six innings due to the “mercy” rule.
According to state records, which date to 1929, no Iowa pitcher ever previously had struck out every batter he faced. Though the national record book does not deal with six-inning games, it does list a mark of 22 consecutive strikeouts by Jim Peterson (Sonora, Calif.) in 1973.
Dermody, a 6-foot-5 lefty who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 26th round, has a 4-0 record with a 0.29 ERA and has fanned 54 in 20 innings. However, it was the first no-hitter of his career.
Amazingly, junior Kole Klocko, almost matched Dermody’s effort in the second game of the doubleheader. He fired a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts, but walked one as his team again won by the “mercy” rule, 10-0, in just five innings.
Mitty is national champ
Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) has been crowned national softball champion in the final USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll.
Mitty finished 32-0 to edge No. 2 Norco, another California power, which completed a 32-2 campaign. Softball helped boost Mitty to the No. 2 school in the MaxPreps national all-sports rankings.
Keilani Ricketts was the Monarchs’ workhorse. The senior left-hander, who has signed with the University of Oklahoma, compiled a 22-0 record with a microscopic 0.12 ERA. In 146 innings, she struck out 300 batters while allowing a mere 24 hits and two earned runs. She pitched seven no-hitters - three of them perfect games.
Coach Sarah Thomas told the San Jose Mercury News that Ricketts is “the best pitcher that’s ever come through Mitty.”
New Bern dominates
Chelsey Sveinsson, Greenhill (Addison, Texas)
New Bern (N.C.), under the banner of Track Eastern, set a national prep record by winning the 800-meter sprint medley relay in a sizzling 1:28.2 during the talent-packed Nike Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, N.C. Members were Daishawn Styron, Fuquawn Greene and twins Andrew and Anthony Hendrix. The record had been 1:28.43 by Poly (Long Beach, Calif.).
The New Bern squad, which also included Miles Sparks, is the first-ever to win four consecutive relays at the Nike meet. They also captured the 4x400 (3:08.05, No. 2 all-time), 1600-meter sprint medley (3:24.55) and the 4x200 (1:24).
Chelsey Sveinsson of Greenhill (Texas) set two national sophomore records by winning the mile in 4:40.24 and the 2-mile in 10:04.85.
National discus record holder Mason Finley (Buena Vista, Colo.) won his specialty with a toss of 211 feet, but he gained an even bigger victory by taking the shot put with a heave of 71-8 ¾. Two others had throws over 70 feet in one of the meet’s most competitive events.
Kim goes out on top
Kimberly Kim (Pahoa, Hawaii) carded a 2-over-par 218 to win the 18th annual Rolex Junior Golf Tournament in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. It was her final AJGA event before attending the University of Denver.
Kim edged Jessica Korda, a junior from Bradenton, Fla., in a one-hole playoff by drilling a 65-foot putt two feet short of the cup and tapping in for a par. Korda, who shot a 3-under-par 69 to force the playoff, 3-putted for a bogey.
The tourney featured 78 of the top juniors from 15 states, Colombia, Mexico and Canada.
