Angel Bunner, strikeout queen

Angel Bunner is like a lot of other 17-year-old girls. She enjoys shopping, listening to music, and works part-time at a retail store in the mall to earn money for car insurance and other expenses.

It is on the pitching mound where Bunner separates herself from most everyone else. The southpaw, equipped with a fastball that was clocked at 67 m.p.h. and a lethal drop curve, is almost unbeatable.

In four seasons at Conwell-Egan, the 5-foot-9 Bunner has compiled a jaw-dropping 51-8 record. She has 644 strikeouts, averaging more than 10 per game, and 36 shutouts.

"She's a strong lefthander, has a dominating presence, and she moves her pitches really well," Conwell-Egan coach Sandy Hart said.

Last season, Bunner went 27-2 with 19 shutouts and a 0.54 ERA. In 199 innings, she racked up 323 strikeouts while giving up 19 runs (16 earned) and 23 walks. She was selected as The Inquirer's softball player of the year in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

"She has a lot of pitches, her ball moves really well, and she's got great control," said Andy Hafele, coach of Archbishop Ryan, one of Conwell-Egan's toughest rivals in the Catholic League Northern Division.

Last week, in a fierce pitching duel between Bunner and travel-club teammate Sara Michalowski, Ryan nipped the host Eagles, 1-0, in nine innings. Bunner notched 18 strikeouts, and Michalowski, a hard-throwing righthander, had 14 K's.

"We just couldn't get the hits," Bunner said. "It was our first league loss in several years. Afterward, I wanted to cry. It hurt pretty bad."

Bunner, of Fairless Hills, hopes her stellar high school career ends with Conwell-Egan winning its fifth consecutive Catholic League title. The Eagles nipped Archbishop Prendergast, 4-3, in last season's final.

"We're really determined to win another championship, especially the seniors," Bunner said.

In the off-season, Bunner threw 100 pitches every other day, usually in the gym at Benjamin Franklin Middle School in Levittown. Her father, George, who coached her in youth softball, often serves as the catcher.

One of Bunner's favorite softball pitchers and role models is Jennie Finch, who starred at Arizona and led the United States to a gold medal in the 2004 Olympics. These days, Finch is concentrating on being a mother to her 11-month-old son, Ace.

"I love her approach to the game, the way she concentrates when she's on the mound," Bunner said. "And she reminds me a little of myself. She's tall, has blond hair."

Bunner, a lefthanded batter who hits out of the No. 3 hole for Conwell-Egan, is headed to Auburn on a scholarship.

"I definitely wanted to go somewhere warm," she said. "I liked the Auburn players when I went down there for a visit, and the coaches, [head coach] Tina Deese and [assistant] Jack Byerley, said I should be able to make an impact early in my career."