Baseball: Maranatha's super sophomore strikes out 18

Former Dodgers reliever Todd Worrell was a terrific pitcher at Maranatha during the 1970s. Very few people noticed how good he was, however, and instead of turning pro, he went to Biola University. There, his fastball caught the attention of major league scouts and he was selected in the first round of the 1982 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.

The same thing is not likely to happen to Maranatha sophomore Dylan Covey.

Maranatha baseball Coach Brian DeHann said Covey, a 6-foot-2 right-hander, has already caught the attention of Division I college coaches and pro scouts. Covey didn't disappoint the scouts in attendance Thursday, when he struck out 18 in a seven-inning game. His fastball hit 94 mph on the radar and his curve ball went as low as 78 mph. That's Felix Hernandez-type nasty stuff.

Covey, who faced 25 batters during Maranatha's 3-1 home victory over Rosamond in a Southern Section-Toyota Division VI first-round playoff game, is averaging two strikeouts an inning this season -- he has 122 strikeouts in 61 innings . He plays on the same travel-ball team as Orange Lutheran pitcher Gerrit Cole.

Some might be tempted to dismiss Covey's accomplishments because Marantha plays in Division VI. If you are one of those, ask yourself this: Was Todd Worrell, who twice led the NL in saves, able to play against tougher competition?

To read more about Covey's 18-strikeout game, check out Scott Galetti's blog.

-- Jaime Cardenas