Fenwick senior Casey O’Laughlin has what veteran Friars coach Dave Hogan called “one of the three strongest outfield arms I’ve ever coached.”
O’Laughlin batted over .400 and made the All-Chicago Catholic League team as a junior. Having signed to play baseball at Northwestern in college, he was seemingly poised to have an excellent senior year in his third season as the Friars’ starting center fielder.
But inflammation in the elbow of his throwing arm, diagnosed during the preseason, left the left-handed 18-year-old Glen Ellyn resident with a tough decision.
“I have a pretty cautious doctor that I trust a lot, and he said the smart move would just be to DH for this year,” O’Laughlin said. “It’s not a serious injury, but the inflammation might have led to something else if I didn’t take care of it now.”
With the decision made, O’Laughlin adjusted the life of a designated hitter.
“Anyone that has to exclusively DH, especially when they’re used to playing the field, can get frustrated,” Hogan said. “They want to play so bad that sometimes they’ll get up there and swing at a bad pitch. Then they have to sit for two more innings and think about it.
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“I know it’s tough for Casey not to play, especially since he’s so doggone good. But his spirits are good, and his approach to everything has always been positive.”
O’Laughlin was batting .404 through a 5-3 loss at St. Joseph on April 27, while batting third for the Friars. He has managed to value his time spent as a designated hitter this season.
“You can’t get down on yourself. Being a DH is an important skill to learn in case I have to do it in college, and it’s a totally different way to approach the game,” O’Laughlin said. “Basically you’re just sitting and hitting, but I’ve learned to embrace it. You have to have a short memory, and I think I’ve done a decent job of learning to do that.”
Of course, without fielding responsibilities, being a DH does come with some benefits.
“It’s been easier to dial in on the pitchers and just stay focused on what they might try to throw me,” O’Laughlin said. “That’s actually kind of the nice part of being a DH.”
As a third-year varsity player, O’Laughlin is no secret to opposing pitchers, who have been reluctant to throw him a fastball this year. Despite a lot of off-speed pitches coming his way, he said he feels even better at the plate than he did last year.
“I worked a lot in the offseason on my swing, and this year I’m making hard contact more often than last year,” O’Laughlin said. “Even when I ground out or fly out, it’s usually on hard-hit balls.”
O’Laughlin will begin throwing again in a few weeks but will remain at designated hitter for the rest of the season.
“He’s one of the best players in Illinois. We definitely had to make some major adjustments when we learned that he couldn’t play,” Hogan said. “But he’s done a great job under difficult circumstances this year. He has a real nice future at Northwestern and beyond.”
Gary Larsen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press