St. Laurence’s Joe Olson has not always felt 100% this season as he’s dealt with some arm soreness, but the sophomore left-hander knows quickly when he’s firing on all cylinders.
The Louisville recruit had a good hunch before he even threw a pitch in the game that Thursday was going to be one of those days.
“Usually when I’m warming up, I’ll feel my arm,” Olson said. “And when the first couple throws feel good, I already know it’s going to be a good day.
“(Thursday), as soon as I felt it, I was like, ‘Yeah, today’s going to be a good day.'”
Olson was right. He allowed just one hit over a dominant 5 2/3 innings and struck out nine, leading the Vikings to a 7-0 win over Oak Forest in a Class 3A Marist Sectional semifinal in Chicago.
Illinois State recruit Luke Stulga went 3-for-3 with a two-run homer, a triple, three runs and two RBIs for St. Laurence (30-8). Illinois-Springfield recruit Johnny Wendling had three RBIs and Parkland recruit Michael Carrano went 2-for-3 with a double.
The second-seeded Vikings will take on top-seeded Nazareth (30-6), the defending 3A state champion, at 11 a.m. Saturday in the sectional final. It’s a rematch of last season’s game, which the Roadrunners won 6-0.
Andrew Lucas doubled for the lone hit for third-seeded Oak Forest (25-11). Hunter Johnson threw 1 1/3 perfect innings in relief.
Olson, meanwhile, struck out six over the first three innings as he established his control over the game early. He ended up with just one walk.
“I don’t think there’s any better feeling than that,” Olson said. “When my arm is feeling good and it’s coming out hot, I just know it’s going to be a great start.”
Olson worked out of the bullpen in the middle part of the season as he worked through some pain.
“My arm was hurting and I was just coming in for a couple innings to see how it feels,” Olson said. “It’s all better now and I’m back to starting.”
Wendling, a senior catcher, saw Olson hit a new gear Thursday.
“Joe was really good,” Wendling said. “He had some (velocity) that he hasn’t been having. He was throwing them for strikes, too. He was really commanding. He attacked that fastball in good spots and let the defense do the work.”
Stulga set the tone offensively with his long home run in the first inning and kept it going with a single and a triple, scoring both times.
On top of that, Stulga broke out a Eurostep, commonly seen in basketball, as he was going around the bases to celebrate his homer.
“The last three or four home runs, I’ve done that,” Stulga said. “I saw (Miami Marlins star) Jazz Chisholm, who’s one of the younger players in the MLB — and I look up to those young guys who are playing really exciting baseball — do that and I was like, ‘Let me see if I can do that.'”
Olson, meanwhile, said he’s pitching with more confidence after succeeding in big games as a freshman.
“I feel way more comfortable with everyone and everything,” Olson said. “Next year, I’m going to be a junior and it’s going to be even better.”
That’s a scary thought for future opponents — and an exciting one for St. Laurence coach Pete Lotus.
“I think he’s continued to get better,” Lotus said of Olson. “He put in a lot of hard work in the offseason. I think his off-speed is definitely better than it was last year.
“He has a lot of confidence in it. He doesn’t always need it, but it’s there when he does need it.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.