Lincoln-Way East’s Ethan Godlewski grew up loving baseball because he could swing the bat.
Hitting was his passion, even though he would end up struggling at the plate
“Honestly, I don’t hit any more, but I was a hitter when I was younger,” Godlewski said, smiling at the memory. “I used to love hitting, man. I still wish I could do it but I just (was bad).
“But that’s where I got my love of the game came from — hitting. That’s where it’s at.”
Lucky for Godlewski, he had a backup plan. His pitching has kept him in the game throughout high school, and the senior right-hander is making a big difference for the Griffins with his arm.
The St. Xavier recruit threw five shutout innings Wednesday afternoon as Lincoln-Way East rolled to a 9-0 SouthWest Suburban Blue victory over host Sandburg in Orland Park.
The win gave the Griffins (20-12, 10-2) the conference championship for the fifth time since 2019.
Charlie Cosich drove home a pair of runs during a four-run fifth inning. Senior shortstop Tyler Bell, a Kentucky recruit who has been drawing the attention of MLB scouts, MJ Schley, James Rea and Justyn Hart also drove in runs.
For Sandburg (18-10, 7-6), Lucas Rosas pitched two shutout innings in relief.
This was a confidence builder for Godlewski, who was making his first appearance since a 3-2 nonconference loss to Marist on May 8 in Chicago. He allowed one run over six innings in that one, but his throwing error started a two-run, game-winning rally for the RedHawks.
“The whole game I was doing good, and I was feeling it,” Godlewski said of the outing against Marist. “But then I just fell apart at the end. So this game (Sandburg) was my bounce-back.
“I finished strong and put up zeroes through every inning.”
Although he had a few adventures in the third, fourth and fifth innings as multiple Eagles reached base, he was able to reach back and get out of the jams.
“I feel like runners on base don’t really affect me,” Godlewski said. “I’m going to still do my thing, and I have a large arsenal, and I will find a way to get an out one way or another.”
Cosich said he enjoys having Godlewski as a teammate.
“He’s a great guy to be around,” Cosich said. “He brings high energy to the team. It’s easy to rally around them when he’s out there. Even when he’s not doing so hot, we like to rally around him and pick him up and elevate him to a higher level.”
Veteran Lincoln-Way East coach John McCarthy, who also headed the programs at Brother Rice and Homewood-Flossmoor, first met Godlewski last year and is happy with his progress.
“He does a good job pounding the zone and getting ahead in the count,” McCarthy said. “He’s been a really, really big asset for us this year. He’s taken a leadership role with the pitching staff.
“And he’s just a really competitive guy.”
Godlewski and the Griffins have been going on a roller-coaster ride all season. Just in the week before the Sandburg game, they went 1-3, with the win being a 16-15 slugfest over St. Rita.
“We’re up and down but we’ll get it going,” Godlewski said. “When we get to the playoffs, I think we’ll get it.”
After graduating, Godlewski is looking forward to a career with St. Xavier.
“They got it going there, and I’m excited to see what we can do,” he said. “They took a few big dubs this year. I’m looking to come in there and take a few more big dubs with them.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
