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Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Mount Carmel soars past Nazareth in sectional with Jake Matise on mound. His teammates know why. ‘This kid deals.'
Before the season, it would have been easy for opponents to overlook uncommitted junior righty Jake Matise on a Mount Carmel pitching staff that featured guys going to Miami and Notre Dame. But Matise has blossomed into the ace. He was named the Catholic League Blue's pitcher of the year. And he felt really good about his chances Wednesday night against a loaded Nazareth team. 'Every time, I just know what I'm capable of,' Matise said. 'I trust my preparation and I know what I'm able to do, so it's pretty easy to go out there every time and be confident in myself.' Matise backed up that confidence, allowing just two hits in a complete game as the Caravan knocked off the Roadrunners 6-1 in a Class 4A Reavis Sectional semifinal that was played at Triton College in River Grove due to field conditions from the rain. Wake Forest recruit TJ McQuillan went 2-for-3 with an RBI double and a run for fifth-seeded Mount Carmel (25-13), while Illinois commit Joey Ireland contributed a two-run single. Wharton County recruit Kolin Adams scored three runs and Anthony Chavez added an RBI double. Mount Carmel will take on top-seeded Brother Rice (34-3) — a 2-1 winner over Oak Park-River Forest — at 11 a.m. Saturday in the sectional final at Reavis. The Catholic League Blue rivals split two regular-season games. Matise, meanwhile, retired the first 12 batters for second-seeded Nazareth (31-7). He finished with eight strikeouts and scattered two walks. Mount Carmel coach Brian Hurry knew Matise could deliver in the big moment. 'He certainly has not been overlooked by our team, his teammates in the dugout or everyone on the coaching staff,' Hurry said. 'He's been a great pitcher for two years now. 'He's a fierce competitor. He attacks the zone. He's able, in these big games, to slow the game down and not make the moment bigger than it is and just execute.' Matise has formed a strong duo with Notre Dame recruit Connor Elenteny as Miami commit Ian Tosi missed the entire season due to an injury. 'With Ian hurt, I kind of had to fill in a bigger role and take over his spot, and I think I've done it well,' Matise said. 'I'm not too worried about not getting a lot of attention before. 'I'm glad for those guys and where they're going to college, but hopefully I'm going somewhere, too. There were some coaches out here.' Matise (8-1) — whose the lone loss came way back on March 29 against Lockport — could hardly believe it when he found out he was the Catholic League Blue's pitcher of the year. 'That actually really caught me by surprise,' Matise said. 'I wasn't really thinking about it. Then my coach calls me in the morning and he tells me, and I was just in shock. 'I was like, 'Whoa, I really did this. I really won it, in the CCL Blue, the best conference, in my opinion.' It's really a huge honor. It's super cool.' Mount Carmel took a quick lead Wednesday night on McQuillan's RBI double in the first inning and broke things open with four runs in the third. The Caravan knew Matise would take it home from there. 'This kid had a no-hitter through four innings and only gave up two hits in seven innings against Nazareth,' McQuillan said. 'That's a great team over there, but we felt really confident with him out there. This kid deals.' Junior catcher Mario Medina took that belief in Matise a step further. 'In my eyes, every time Jake's out there, it's a win,' Medina said. 'We've just got to have the bats to back him up.' Matise, who has pitched since he was 6 years old, has been totally focused on that aspect of the game since he started high school and gave up hitting. There's a simple reason why he loves his position. 'Just getting other dudes out,' he said. 'It feels good.'
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
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Joshua Torres, who takes photos for school newspaper, turns into a headliner for Brother Rice. ‘Feels awesome.'
At most Brother Rice sporting events, aside from baseball games that he's playing in, Joshua Torres can be found on the sideline with his camera. Torres, a photographer and writer for the school newspaper, also does freelance photography outside of Brother Rice. In that role, he's found plenty of inspiration to take into baseball season. 'You saw the basketball team, they were tremendous,' Torres said of the Class 3A runners-up. 'It's awesome being around teams like that. That just made me say, 'We're going to do the same thing with our team. We're going to go all the way to the state championship game just like them.' 'When you have so much talent around you, it's definitely motivating.' Torres, a senior catcher, is becoming a larger part of a Crusaders baseball team putting together a special season of their own. He had an RBI single Saturday as host Brother Rice extended its winning streak to 26 games with a 5-4 Catholic League Blue victory over Providence in Chicago. Kentucky recruit Nolan Ramoley added an RBI double and a sacrifice fly for the Crusaders (27-1, 10-0). Anthony Cartolano went 2-for-3 with two runs, while Arizona commit Gavin Triezenberg finished 2-for-3 with a triple and a run and Gavin Stanislawski contributed an RBI single. Illinois State recruit Jackson Natanek chipped in with an RBI double and recorded the final two outs for the save. Braydon McKendrick improved to 8-0, striking out six while allowing just two hits and no earned runs over 6 1/3 innings. 'This was a big one so I really just wanted to go out there and make another statement,' McKendrick said. 'We're rolling.' Cincinnati recruit Enzo Infelise tallied a two-run single for Providence (17-11, 5-5). Eddie Olszta, Dominik Alberico and Michael Noonan each had a double and a run. Down 5-1 entering the seventh inning, the Celtics scored three times and had the tying run at second but Natanek got a strikeout to end the game. Torres, meanwhile, delivered an RBI single in the second to give Brother Rice a 3-0 lead. He later put down a successful sacrifice bunt and also played a strong game defensively behind the plate. Torres has shared catching duties with Treylan Webster. While Webster got the bulk of the playing time early in the season, Torres is earning more opportunities of late. 'It feels awesome,' Torres said. 'Trey's doing his thing and I'm just here to do my part. In the preseason, coach (Sean) McBride told me Trey was going to be the main guy but they'd still use me and I said that I accept that offer. 'I'll do whatever I can. I'll do my part. You just control what you can control.' Torres is hitting .421 with seven RBIs in just 19 at-bats. 'Josh is a steady presence for us,' McBride said. 'He does a really good job blocking and receiving and he's always swung the bat really well. He's versatile. You don't think catchers are guys that can sacrifice bunt, but he did it for us (Saturday).' Torres has served as somewhat of a personal catcher for McKendrick as well. He's typically behind the plate for the junior left-hander's starts, and the two have a good rapport. 'He caught me a lot last year, too, and we've played for the same travel team, so we have that chemistry,' McKendrick said. 'We're really close. He's great back there. He helps me get some extra strikes called. He's amazing.' As for his recent success swinging the bat, Torres chalks it up to confidence. 'Last year, I think the reason why I was down so much is I was always saying 'I suck' to myself,' Torres said. 'That self-belief is huge. I just started calming down this year.'
Chicago Tribune
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Late because of an exam, Connor Marino passes test as St. Laurence rolls past Providence. ‘It was a crazy day.'
St. Laurence's Connor Marino hopes he aced two tests on a hectic Monday afternoon. He certainly passed the baseball one with flying colors. Marino had an International Baccalaureate history exam that lasted until 4 p.m. in Burbank. The senior infielder then drove himself to Providence, where he drove in three runs after arriving after the game's 4:30 p.m. start and coming in as a pinch hitter. 'It was a crazy day and I had to rush over here pretty quickly, but I embraced it,' Marino said. 'I love playing Providence, and I always love the tough competition. 'I felt like I was able to really lock in while driving over here, and I felt like I had a good level of focus to put that test behind me and come in and play baseball.' Marino, a Wisconsin-Stout recruit, had three of the Vikings' 17 hits as they rolled to a 16-5 Catholic League Blue win over the Celtics in New Lenox. Adrian Perez and Danny Donovan both went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs each for St. Laurence (21-3, 7-0), which extended its winning streak to 17. Mickey Lotus finished 2-for-5 with three runs, while South Suburban College recruit Enrique Villanueva went 3-for-3 with an RBI. John Strzechowski earned the win on the mound, allowing two earned runs in six innings. He struck out eight and allowed eight hits and two walks. Vikings coach Pete Lotus was thrilled with the blowout win over the defending Class 4A state champions. 'I don't know if this has ever happened for us here and we've been coming here a long time,' he said. 'They're a great team and you expect a tight game — and it was early on — but our guys did a great job continuing to put runs on the board and John had an outstanding outing.' Minnesota recruit Nate O'Donnell went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two runs and an RBI for Providence (16-8, 4-2). St. Norbert commit Declan Kane added a two-run double and Sammy Atkinson finished 2-for-3 with an RBI. Marino, meanwhile, had been penciled in to bat in his typical leadoff spot and play first base, but was scratched from the lineup once it became apparent he might arrive late. Pete Lotus thus inserted pitcher Samuel Chin as the designed hitter in the No. 9 spot in the starting lineup, knowing someone would pinch hit for Chin in his first at-bat. The question was if Marino would be there in time. 'We were trying to figure it out because we didn't want to waste a hitter, so we threw Samuel Chin in that No. 9 spot as the designed hitter,' Pete Lotus said. 'I've never seen him swing a bat.' Marino arrived in the bottom of the first inning, but he had to make a quick stop before heading to the dugout. 'The drive took about 37 minutes,' he said. 'I got here and I had to go to the bathroom, but then I was ready.' Indeed, he was. Marino walked and scored a run in his first plate appearance in the third inning. He later added three singles, three RBIs and another run. Marino is now hitting .421 with a .505 on-base percentage, 28 runs, 21 stolen bases and 21 RBIs. 'He's always getting on base, whether it's getting a hit or drawing a walk, then he always steals a base,' Mickey Lotus said. 'He always gets us started.' And being in scramble mode Monday worked out just fine for Marino. 'I had a lot of time to zone in,' he said. 'There weren't the distractions like sometimes there are when you're on the bus with the team. I was focused on driving and thinking about the game instead of, usually, I'm sleeping on the bus or doing something else. 'I felt like I was a lot more locked in for this game.'
Chicago Tribune
16-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Despite MLB draft buzz, Cincinnati recruit Enzo Infelise maintains even-keel focus for Providence. ‘A special player.'
After winning the Catholic League Blue's player of the year honors as a sophomore in 2023, Providence's Enzo Infelise had a hard time living up to incredibly lofty expectations — both his own and from outsiders — at the start of last season. Infelise, a senior utility man, is no longer concerned about all of that. In helping lead the Celtics to the Class 4A state championship last spring, Infelise learned he just had to be himself and stop worrying about it. 'Junior year started off not like how I wanted it to,' Infelise said. 'My mentality wasn't right. I'm not used to that. I had maybe 20 strikeouts last year and I had four the year before. I'm usually not a strikeout guy, so it was kind of getting in my head. 'I know I can hit. I just need to trust myself and stop letting the mental side of things get to me.' Infelise, a Cincinnati recruit, hit .525 with two home runs and 35 RBIs as a sophomore. Last season, his batting average took a hit — down to a still-strong .362 — but he upped his power numbers, finishing with seven homers and 32 RBIs. Providence coach Mark Smith saw Infelise questioning himself at times a year ago. 'It's a maturation process,' Smith said. 'This would probably go for just about any kid who's ever had such an incredible year as a sophomore. You're not going to repeat that. To hit what he did, .525 as a sophomore against the pitching we see, to repeat that is extremely hard. 'I think he put such high expectations on himself. You're not going to live up to that and that's OK.' Smith saw Infelise at his best late last spring once he figured out how to take some of the pressure off himself. 'I think about two-thirds through the season last year, he realized, 'Hey, whatever happens, happens, I'm just going to be me,'' Smith said. 'When he got back to being him, things got even better for him.' In addition to his powerful bat, Infelise brings a ton of versatility to the Celtics' lineup. He expects to play catcher, shortstop and third base this season as well as pitch out of the bullpen. 'When it comes to Enzo, tell him he can't do something and he'll show you how good he can do it,' Smith said. 'That's what makes him a special player.' Infelise is happy to play anywhere, but he's hoping his future is as a catcher. 'Last year, catching was a little rough for me,' he said. 'But over the fall and stuff, I feel like I really dedicated myself to it more. I know my bat is there, but I really want to show people how I can catch and show that I can stick back there. 'I love catching.' The Celtics return the top three pitchers from their state championship team in seniors Kasten Goebbert (Gulf Coast Community College), Cooper Eggert (SIU Edwardsville) and Nate O'Donnell (Minnesota). Eggert and O'Donnell — the 2024 Daily Southtown Baseball Player of the Year — were also two of the state's best hitters last season. Eggert, O'Donnell and Infelise make up half of the six returnees from last spring's starting lineup. 'I feel like it's a good feeling to be the hunted,' Eggert said. 'We're going to have the target on our backs. We're going to see everyone's best, and that will be fun.' Infelise, who is widely considered one of the state's top senior prospects, knows there will be plenty of eyes on him. But he's ready for that. 'This year, I've heard some more buzz around my name with the MLB draft and things like that,' Infelise said. 'But I just try to not to do too much at the plate or even catching. 'I just want to do my thing instead of trying to live up to something that I'm really not. I just want to do me.'
