National Highlight Reel: Brandon Brittain turns heads as Bob Feller's third cousin

The blood of Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Bob Feller flows through the veins of Brandon Brittain, who already is making a name for himself as a freshman at Van Meter (Iowa).

Brittain's grandmother, Gretchen, was Feller's first cousin, making Brandon a third cousin. Feller also grew up in Van Meter and became an instant star with the Cleveland Indians in 1936 at the tender age of 17.

Though Brittain doesn't throw 100 mph like his famous relative, he is the Bulldogs' No. 1 pitcher with a 7-1 record and 2.04 earned run average. In 59 innings, he has struck out 53, walked 19 and held opponents to a .189 batting average.

Brittain told MaxPreps that his fastball, which clocks at around 85 mph, is his best pitch, but he also throws a curve and knuckleball. From watching a video and studying an old baseball card, he has picked up part of Feller's famous delivery.

"When I go to bring my leg up, I put my hands over my head and I pause (before releasing the ball)," he explained. "I do it just to mix it up (from his normal delivery). I mainly do it for my strikeout pitch."

He learned of his relationship with Feller from his grandmother at around age 7.

"It means a lot just to know we were both pitchers," he said.

Coach John Fitzpatrick points out that his young star, who also plays shortstop, is no slouch at the plate either.
He noted, "He has great pop and is able to drive the ball to all fields."

The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder bats anywhere from No. 3 to 5 in the order. He currently is hitting .466 with eight home runs and he has driven in 41. He also has scored 39 runs and stolen 13 bases in 13 attempts.

The pressure of the Feller connection and being such a young player has not fazed Brittain, according to his coach. Fitzpatrick pointed to the Bulldogs' first Class 2A District tournament game during which Brittain fell behind Panorama (Iowa), 3-0 - all on unearned runs.

"He's the most cool kid. It takes a lot to get him rattled," Fitzpatrick pointed out. "It seems that every time we're in a big game, he comes up clutch. We were down 10-6 (in an earlier game) and he hit a grand slam to tie the score. Another time we were down 5-4 and he hit a two-run homer. He pitches all our big games."

Brittain, who carries a 3.8 GPA and also will be starting in football and basketball, agrees that pressure does not bother him.

"I don't really think so," he said. "I work probably better under pressure."

The Bulldogs wound up with an 8-3 victory over Panorama and will take a 23-7 record into their next playoff game on Tuesday.

* The San Diego Show routed the East Cobb Yankees, 10-1, to win the 18-Under World Wood Bat Association National Championship in Marietta, Ga. The Show (9-0-1), which has eight players committed to Division I colleges, was led by MVP Phillip Evans, a shortstop from La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, Calif.) who batted .409 and drove in seven runs. The Show also had the most valuable pitcher, Jake Reed of Helix (La Mesa, Calif.), who collected two wins and two saves in 12 2/3 innings.

* Dillion Engle fired a no-hitter with 15 strikeouts as Hale (West Allis, Wis.) blanked Central (West Allis, Wis.), 5-0.

* Rising senior Kevin Ross of Niles West (Skokie, Ill.) has made a commitment to the University of Michigan, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The 6-1, 190-pound shortstop batted .436 and drove in 30 runs as a junior. He also scored 35 runs and stole 16 bases.

* Rocky Helm has been named the American Baseball Coaches Association Division I Coach of the Year after leading Maize (Kan.) to a 25-0 record and the Class 6A state title. Maize is ranked as one of the best-ever in Kansas and Helm told the Wichita Eagle that he had "eight to 10 kids on junior varsity who would be varsity starters anywhere else."

FOOTBALL: MIAMI WINS NFL 7-ON-7 CROWN
Miami defeated Atlanta, 41-14, to win its third consecutive championship during the annual NFL 7-on-7 football tournament in Cleveland. Miami finished with a 10-1 record, losing only to New England in a preliminary round.

Twenty-four NFL cities entered teams this year and all NFL cities will be represented next year when the tourney moves to Indianapolis.

* Jeremy Williams, who has valiantly battled terminal Lou Gehrig's disease, has been forced to resign as football coach at Greenville (Ga.). Earlier in the spring, he resigned his athletic director's position. He is the subject of a new documentary film, "Season of a Lifetime."

* Trenton Irwin is another bright light on the football horizon. The 6-0, 155-pounder could win the starting quarterback position as a freshman at perennial power Hart (Newhall, Calif.).

* Rising senior Greg McMullen has committed to the University of Nebraska, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The 6-5, 260-pound defensive end had 55 tackles and 8.5 sacks last year for Archbishop Hoban (Akron, Ohio). He also considered Notre Dame, Michigan, Oregon and Michigan State.

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