Latest news with #Cartolano
Chicago Tribune
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
After missing football due to injury, Anthony Cartolano breaks out in baseball for Brother Rice. ‘Fun to be back.'
Last fall was frustrating for Anthony Cartolano, who broke his right arm in August and missed all of what was supposed to be his first varsity football season for Brother Rice. Instead, the sophomore outfielder had all that extra time to think about baseball. He was more than a little amped up to get back to competing on the diamond this spring. 'Breaking my arm and being out for that long, the biggest challenge was mentally,' Cartolano said. 'It was hard just to stay mentally high. Getting down was pretty easy, but I knew I had to get back up fast. 'I love playing baseball, and it's fun to be back.' While Cartolano, who suffered the injury in football practice, has to wait to showcase his skills as a wide receiver on varsity, he's sure made a quite a splash in his first full season of varsity baseball. He helped the Crusaders win a conference title Saturday. Cartolano's two-run single was a key hit as host Brother Rice topped St. Laurence for a 6-2 Catholic League Blue win in Chicago. Braydon McKendrick threw six-plus innings, striking out four and allowing two earned runs on just two hits and three walks for the Crusaders (29-2, 13-1). Eastern Michigan recruit Aidan Nohava went 2-for-3 with a home run, while Arizona commit Gavin Triezenberg added a two-run double and Joshua Torres finished 2-for-3 with an RBI single. Brother Rice needed to sweep St. Laurence (26-5, 12-2) in the final two-game series of the conference season and did just that to win its first Catholic League Blue title since 2022. That set off a raucous celebration with students storming the field to join the team. 'Honestly, there's no better feeling,' Nohava said. 'Seeing my teammates with smiles on their faces puts a bigger smile on mine. We've got all my buddies coming out to watch us at this new field with this atmosphere. You can't recreate it anywhere else. 'I love it. There's nothing better.' Louisville recruit Cory Les homered for the Vikings. Orlando Vazquez added a single, with Jimmy Benson striking out five over 4 2/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on five hits. Cartolano, however, ripped a two-run single to left field in the third inning to give the Crusaders a 3-0 lead. 'I had two strikeouts I shouldn't have had,' Cartolano said. 'The pressure got me, but that's going to happen sometimes. You can't be perfect all the time. But in that at-bat, I manned up with two strikes, put the ball in play, and good things happen when you swing the bat.' A lot of good things have been happening for Cartolano, who landed an inside-the-park home run during Thursday's 12-2 win over St. Laurence. In addition to playing sparkling defense, he's hitting .403 with 29 runs, 26 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. After batting him near the bottom of the lineup early in the season, coach Sean McBride has moved Cartolano up to the No. 2 spot. 'He's been awesome, man,' McBride said. 'For a young kid, he really believes in himself. He plays the game like a senior. He leads by his intensity and fire. He's been a spark plug. 'We're lucky he's just a young buck and we've got him for a couple more years.' Cartolano's speed has been a game changer for the Crusaders. He said he owes that to football. 'Football transformed my body and made me faster overall,' he said. 'Competing year-round makes me a better overall athlete and a better player in both sports.' It's been a fun ride so far for Cartolano, but he's ready for more. 'It's really exciting, but we're just getting started,' he said. 'Playoffs are next. We're going to state.'
Chicago Tribune
02-04-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Brady Cunningham, who lives in Mokena, rallies Brother Rice past Lincoln-Way Central. ‘Emotions were pretty high.'
Brother Rice's Brady Cunningham could not have picked a better time to hit the first home run of his high school career. The sophomore infielder/pitcher's towering shot to left-center Tuesday tied the game in the bottom of the seventh inning and sparked a comeback win for the Crusaders. To make the moment even sweeter, it was against Lincoln-Way Central. Cunningham lives in Central's district in Mokena and has been lifelong friends with several players on the Knights. 'Emotions were pretty high,' Cunningham said. 'They were high from the get-go knowing we were playing against a lot of people I'm familiar with. 'I was just looking to put something hard in play and the ball just went. It felt pretty great.' Cunningham's heroics set up a walk-off RBI single by Anthony Cartolano as host Brother Rice rallied from a five-run deficit for an 8-7 win over the Knights in a Do It Stevie's Way Tournament pool-play game in Chicago. Eastern Michigan recruit Aidan Nohava went 3-for-4 with two runs, a double, a triple and an RBI for the Crusaders (4-1). Conner Stack finished 2-for-2 with an RBI, while JD Maloney threw a perfect top of the seventh to earn the win. Conor McCabe went 2-for-4 with two runs, a double and an RBI to lead Lincoln-Way Central (2-2). Toledo recruit Liam Arsich finished 2-for-4 with a run and a double, while Austin Welsh contributed a two-run single. Xavier recruit Luke Mensik struck out five over three shutout innings. The Knights led 7-2 before Brother Rice scored three times in each of the sixth and seventh innings. Cunningham's long two-run homer with one out in the seventh tied the game. Cartolano, for one, saw it coming. 'I called it,' Cartolano said. 'I said, 'Do you know how electric it would be if Brady puts one over the wall? Next pitch? Boom.' 'Brady is the definition of a team player, and when he's on his game, he's unstoppable.' Nohava followed with a triple. After two intentional walks, Cartolano came up with the bases loaded and one out. Cartolano, who also lives in Lincoln-Way Central's district in New Lenox, ripped a hard grounder that got through the draw-in infield for the game-winning hit. 'When you're a kid in third grade, playing wall ball with your buddies, you're like, 'Bottom of the ninth, World Series,'' Cartolano said. 'You dream of these types of moments. It's a fun place to be.' Cunningham, meanwhile, was extra fired-up for the game against his friends from home. 'Their starting pitcher (Mensik) and their first three hitters (Luke Tingley, Filippo Baratta and Arsich) are all guys I'm super close with,' Cunningham said. 'We live in the same neighborhood and I've always been around them. I was definitely excited for this game.' Cunningham showcased his skills as a freshman last season on the varsity, earning some big opportunities as a pitcher. He also got 55 at-bats but hit just .255. Now, he's batting third and blossoming into a two-way star. He threw a five-inning no-hitter in Friday's 11-0 win over Oswego East. 'My goal is to be a two-way player as long as possible,' Cunningham said. 'I feel like my approach at the plate is a lot better. I've been looking for pitches that I can handle. 'I worked really hard in the offseason to get stronger and improve my speed, too.' Brother Rice coach Sean McBride is confident Cunningham can do anything the team asks him to. 'He's a special talent,' McBride said. 'What people don't see is he practices 100 miles per hour. He's a really hard worker. He's super intelligent, a student of the game and he wants to be great. 'So, it's really not surprising. He's hitting third as a sophomore on a really good team for a reason. He deserves to be there.'
