Latest news with #Infelise
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Minnesota commit Nate O'Donnell stays the course as Providence routs Homewood-Flossmoor. ‘You've just got to win.'
Returning most of the team that won the 2024 Class 4A state title, Providence has dealt with large expectations all season. And perhaps no one has had more to live up to than Nate O'Donnell. O'Donnell, a senior infielder/pitcher, had a monster junior season. The 2024 Daily Southtown Baseball Player of the Year was one of the state's top hitters and a clutch big-game pitcher. That's a high bar to set for yourself, but O'Donnell has faced it just fine. 'There's a little bit of that pressure, but you can't look at it that way,' O'Donnell said. 'Obviously, you'd like to repeat the stats, but it's not really about that. You're just going out there to have fun and to compete every at-bat and every time on the mound. 'You control what you can control.' O'Donnell, a Minnesota recruit, fought through a slump or two this spring but he's having another huge season with his arm and his bat. He stepped up on the mound Saturday, allowing just two hits over five shutout innings as the Celtics rolled to a 12-0 win over Homewood-Flossmoor in the Class 4A Sandburg Regional championship game, which was played at Andrew in Tinley Park. Cincinnati commit Enzo Infelise went 3-for-3 with a two-run homer, while Parkland recruit Blake Jenner also finished 3-for-3 and scored a run for third-seeded Providence (25-12), which will take on 12th-seeded Stagg (10-27) at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in a Lincoln-Way West Sectional semifinal. SIU Edwardsville commit Cooper Eggert was 2-for-2 with two doubles, two runs and an RBI, while Eddie Olszta and Michael Noonan each added two RBIs. 'We were hungry coming into this game,' Infelise said, referencing last year's 2-1 regional championship win over H-F that went eight innings. 'We barely beat them last year. 'I know they wanted us. We came out and ended up stacking hits together.' Derrick Holmes and Arthur Stamps each had a hit for ninth-seeded H-F (14-21). Both of them followed their singles with stolen-base attempts and were thrown out at second by Infelise. That helped O'Donnell face the minimum 15 batters. 'I just wanted to pound the zone, trust the defense behind me and just throw a lot of strikes,' O'Donnell said. 'I knew guys would make plays behind me.' O'Donnell improved to 4-3 with a 2.39 ERA. He also singled and scored a run, adding to his impressive offensive numbers. Last season, O'Donnell hit .441 with 43 runs, 11 homers and 55 RBIs. He's not too far behind this spring, batting .424 with 45 runs, nine homers and 38 RBIs. Providence coach Mark Smith has been impressed with how O'Donnell handles the spotlight. 'Any player that has a great sophomore year or a junior year and then comes back, it's hard to repeat that,' Smith said. 'Baseball is a hard game and when you have those monster years, maybe everything went right for you and then it's going to even out a bit the next year. 'But Nate's had one heck of a year for us again. He's been great. He's a four-year varsity player. Those four years have gone fast, and we're really going to miss him.' Infelise caught O'Donnell's bullpen session earlier in the week and was confident Saturday would be a good day. 'He threw a great pen,' Infelise said. 'He came out (Saturday) and he had his stuff. When Nate has his stuff, he's hard to hit.' Providence, on the flip side, scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back. O'Donnell said the Celtics are ready to put a so-so regular season behind them and make their push for a repeat championship. 'We had some ups and downs and some injuries that we had to work through,' he said. 'Now, it's time to lock in and just get the job done. If you lose, you're done, so you just can't lose. 'You've just got to win.'
Chicago Tribune
7 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Always batting at the bottom of the order suits Providence's Michael Noonan just fine. ‘Don't care how I get on.'
Michael Noonan takes his role as the No. 9 hitter in Providence's lineup pretty seriously. While some may balk at batting ninth, the senior center fielder embraces it. 'I've hit there the whole season — I haven't moved,' Noonan said. 'Before every game, I'm thinking that I don't care about my average and I don't care about my on-base percentage. 'If I can do at least one thing productive for the team, that's what I'm going to try to do.' He did more than one thing Wednesday. Noonan notched three hits, three runs and two RBIs and was a menace on the bases as the defending Class 4A state champion Celtics opened the postseason with a 15-5 six-inning win over Bloom in a Sandburg Regional semifinal in Orland Park. He doubled in two runs with two outs in the second inning to start a nine-run outburst and also had a bunt single, but something else stood out to Noonan. 'I don't care how I get on,' he said. 'You saw it — I ran out a weak ground ball to second and I was perfectly happy with that. I'll take it every time if I could.' Sammy Atkinson added three hits and four runs for Providence (24-12), while Cincinnati commit Enzo Infelise chipped in with three hits and two RBIs. Eddie Olszta and Minnesota recruit Nate O'Donnell each drove in two runs. Dan Williams tallied two hits and Kamari Dawkins drove in two runs for surging Bloom (18-13), which entered with a 10-2 record in its final 12 regular-season games. The third-seeded Celtics will play at 3 p.m. Saturday in the regional final, which will be at Andrew, against the semifinal winner between Sandburg (21-11) and Homewood-Flossmoor (13-19). Noonan, meanwhile, said he has played baseball almost all his life, but that's coming to an end after this season. He plans on going to Purdue to study mechanical engineering. 'It comes down to trains, trucks or planes,' he said. 'I want to do something with them. Just give me a house with a big yard and a dog and I'll be good.' To hear the people in Providence's inner circle tell it, Noonan is good on the diamond too. 'He's the nine hitter, and Sam and I are right after him, so he's always on base and I know he's fast,' Infelise said of Noonan. 'If he's on second, he'll score on a base hit. 'He just competes. He's a winner. He wants to be out there every day.' Providence coach Mark Smith loves having that heavy-duty production at the bottom of the order. 'His job as that nine guy is to somehow get on base for the top of the order,' Smith said of Noonan. 'Noony sparked us with that two-out double that got that whole inning going. 'He's come a long way with his hitting. He was a part-time player for us last year and sometimes we hit for him, but this year, he has gotten better and his defense helped get him into the lineup.' The Celtics used six pitchers Wednesday, watching an 11-1 lead melt to 11-5 before recovering. 'We were sloppy,' Infelise said. 'We have a target on our back and we're trying to take over the state again. Our main goal is to go back to Joliet, and we need to win games. 'If we win them, we win them whether they are sloppy or not. Just get it done. But playing sloppy can't happen anymore.' Noonan's time as a competitive player is winding down, but he's also looking for a big finish that would end up in the state finals at Duly Health and Care Field in Joliet. 'I'll definitely miss playing,' Noonan said. 'It was a tough decision but not as tough as it is for other people. I'll still try to incorporate it either with intramurals or playing with some friends.'
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.'
