Highlight reel: Gant, Fulmer strike out 16 each to lead pitching dominance

Pitchers dominated high school baseball around the country during the past week.

* Wiregrass Ranch (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) senior John Michael Gant struck out 16 batters - including the last nine – while posting a 7-0 victory against Zephyrhills (Fla.). It marked his second no-hitter of the year and he has struck out 81 in 44 innings.

* Michael Fulmer of Deer Creek (Edmond, Okla.) also struck out 16 during a 10-2 victory over hard-hitting Carl Albert Midwest City (Midwest City, Okla.). He has signed with the University of Arkansas.

* Owasso (Owasso, Okla.) senior flamethrower Dylan Bundy, who touched 97 MPH, fanned 14 in a five-inning 8-0 victory over top-ranked Bishop Kelley (Tulsa, Okla.). Working in 42-degree weather, he allowed one hit and one walk.
See Bundy in action


* Junior Kyle Murray of Crescenta Valley (La Crescenta, Calif.) struck out 15 and scattered three hits while defeating Burbank (Calif.), 3-1.

* Calumet (Gary, Ind.) standout K.C. Waleski posted 14 strikeouts during a 15-5 rout of Roosevelt (Gary, Ind.).

* On the hitters' side, senior outfielder Matt Bosse slammed three homers and drove in six runs to spark Calvert Hall (Baltimore, Md.) to a 15-5 victory over No. 1 Gilman (Baltimore, Md.). Bosse, who has signed with the University of Maryland, bats cleanup for a team averaging over .400.

* Millard North (Omaha, Neb.) senior Casey Gillaspie hit for the cycle by collecting a single, double, triple and home run during a 13-4 rout of Skutt (Omaha, Neb.). The Wichita State University recruit also drove in six runs.

* Doug Faust notched his 300th career coaching victory as Archbishop Shaw (Marrero, La.) defeated Brother Martin (New Orleans, La.), 8-3.

* USA Baseball is going to host the first National High School Invitational from March 28-31, 2012, in Cary, N.C. It will be single-elimination, but each team will be guaranteed four games. Invitations already have been accepted by such perennial powers as Sarasota (Fla.), Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.).

Softball: Taylor hits two grand slams

Elizabeth Taylor hit two grand-slam home runs and drove in 11 runs as Hamilton (Mont.) routed Stevensville (Mont.), 35-4, in five innings.

*Senior catcher Lia Romeo belted three home runs and drove in seven runs to spark Lockport (Ill.) to a 15-4 rout of Andrew (Tinley Park, Ill.). She hit just three home runs during her entire junior year.

* Freshman Kristin Cullen fired a no-hitter with 17 strikeouts as Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.) blanked Nordhoff (Ojai, Calif.), 9-0.

* Keep an eye on another freshman, catcher Maddy Jelenicki of Valencia (Valencia, Calif.). During the Tournament of Champions in Arizona, she homered in five straight games to earn MVP honors. She already has committed to UCLA.

* New Egypt (N.J.) blanked Bordentown (N.J.), 12-0, in five innings as Emily Bausher pitched a perfect game. Going back to last year, Bausher now has pitched 57 consecutive scoreless innings.

* Marcy Harper struck out 14 to lead Hoover (Ala.) to a 2-1, eight-inning victory over Ballard (Louisville, Ky.).

* One of the nation's outstanding sophomore pitchers, Tori Finucane, is transferring from Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) to Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.), according to the Washington Post. Already committed to the University of Missouri, she fired five no-hitters as a freshman, but has had unexpected control problems this spring.

Football: Wilson retires at Carter

Allen Wilson, dean of Dallas, Texas, football coaches, plans to retire from Carter (Dallas, Texas) at the end of the school year, according to the Dallas Morning News. The 59-year-old coach has compiled a 249-88-4 career record in 35 years. He won state titles at Tyler John Tyler and Paris.

* Valhalla (El Cajon, Calif.) football/softball coach Steve Sutton has resigned for personal reasons. His football record was 137-95-2, while his softball record was 482-290-15.

* Mullen (Denver, Colo.) football coach Dave Logan has signed up for another three years as the play-by-play radio voice of the Denver Broncos. Logan has won six state titles.

* After just one year as head football coach at Jeffersonville (Ind.), Bob Redman has resigned for personal reasons. The 62-year-old Redman, who won 317 games and three state titles in Kentucky, posted a 1-9 record last fall.

* South Allegheny (McKeesport, Pa.) junior receiver Jesse James (6-7, 246) has committed to Penn State University, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. James, who had 34 catches for 463 yards, also had offers from such colleges as Maryland and Pittsburgh.

Hockey: New Trier (Ill.) is national champion

New Trier (Winnetka, Ill.) blanked Carroll (Southlake, Texas), 3-0, to repeat as champion in the National High School Hockey Tournament in Bensenville, Ill.

* Shattuck-St. Mary's (Faribault, Minn.) defeated the Mid Fairfield Blues, based in Connecticut, 3-1, to win the USA Hockey Under-18 Tier I national championship in Simsbury, Conn. The champs included four players from Anchorage, Alaska.

Wrestling: Californians dominate at nationals

California dominated the Senior Nationals, sponsored by the National High School Coaches Association, over the weekend in Virginia Beach, Va.

California's four champions were Nashon Garrett (Chico), who defeated Evan Link (Penn Cambria, Cresson, Pa.), 3-2, at 112 pounds; Fabian Garcia (Turlock), who pinned Antwan Davis (Parkland, Winston-Salem, N.C.) in 1:12 at 119; Vince Rodriguez (Clovis North), who defeated Chris Perez (MacArthur, Levittown, N.Y.), 5-4, at 125; and Bryce Hammond (Bakersfield), who defeated Austin Wilson ( St. Cecelia, Hastings, Neb.), 7-4, at 160.

Blake Roulo (Matoaca-Chesterfield, Va.) defeated Travis Himmelman (Conifer, Colo.), 3-1, in overtime at 140 pounds to become a four-time grade-level champion.

The MVP of the Senior Nationals was Nick Gwiazdowski (Duanesburg-Delanson, N.Y.), who pinned Patrick Gillen (Shelton, Conn.) in 4:57 at 215 pounds.

Bob Ferraro, founder and CEO of the NHSCA, told MaxPreps, "He was in one of the toughest weight classes and dominated some really good opponents."

This year's tourney drew a record 2,555 entries (grades 9-12) from 48 states and two foreign countries.

* Senior Morgan McIntosh (Calvary Chapel) and junior Jason Tsirtsis Crown Point (Ind.) won repeat championships during the FloNationals in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. McIntosh defeated Gabe Dean (Lowell, Mich.), 11-6, at 189 pounds, while Tsirtsis won over Steve Spearman (McDowell, Erie, Pa.), 4-2, at 135 pounds.

* Female wrestler Megan Black and her talented brother, Tucker Black, are transferring from Ottumwa (Iowa.) to Eddyville-Blakesburg (Eddyville, Iowa), according to the Des Moines Register. She was one of two girls who made history this winter by qualifying for the Iowa state tournament.

Vollyball: Mira Costa wins SoCal showdown

Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) edged Loyola (Los Angeles, Calif.), in a five-set marathon matching the No. 1- and 3-ranked teams in Southern Section boys volleyball before a crowd in excess of 2,000. Harvard recruit D.J. White paced the winners with 20 kills.

* Southwest (Miami, Fla.) volleyball coach Mauricio Diaz posted his 300th career victory last week and his teams have lost just 32 times.

Basketball: White picks North Carolina

Stilman White, a 6-0 point guard, has made a commitment to the University of North Carolina, according to ZagsBlog. White, who averaged 20.5 points and 3.1 assists for Hoggard (Wilmington, N.C.) as a senior, plans to go on a two-year Mormon mission following his freshman year with the Tar Heels.

* Tony Mauldin is retiring as boys basketball coach at Lakeview Centennial (Garland, Texas). Mauldin compiled an 818-447 record with three state titles.

* Randy Carpenter, the only girls basketball coach in Lexington (Neb.) history, is retiring with 492 victories in 36 years.

Potpourri: Reddy, Bodnar win golf titles

* Kethan Reddy of Villa Park (Calif.) and Natalie Bodnar of Amador Valley (Pleasanton, Calif.) won championships at the Preseason Junior Golf Tournament in Beaumont, Calif. Reddy captured the boys title with a score of 3-under-par 141, while Bodnar took the girls crown with a score of 4-over-par 148.

* Despite losing national record holder David Nolan to graduation, the Hershey (Pa.) swimming program will continue to be high-profile with the emergence of freshman Meaghan Raab, who set two state records and shared in a national public-school relay record during the Class AAA girls championships.

* World-class gymnast Bridget Sloan Tri-West Hendricks (Lizton, Ind.) has made a commitment to the University of Florida, according to the Indianapolis Star. A senior honor-roll student, she will take the next year off in a bid to make the 2012 USA Olympic team, then enroll the following fall.

* Fayetteville-Manlius (Manlius, N.Y.) lacrosse coach Chris Kenneally posted his 300th career victory last week.