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.”
