One day, Providence sophomore Nate O’Donnell expects that he will have to make a decision to focus on being a pitcher or an infielder and hitter.
In the short term, though, O’Donnell is enjoying both way too much to even imagine what his choice will be.
“Right now, I’m planning to do both, but I feel like I’ll be taken one way by what I’m better at,” O’Donnell said. “Right now, I feel like I’m really good at both, so the future will decide.
“I like them both. Whatever I’m doing better at the time is what I like more.”
O’Donnell showed off his pitching prowess Thursday, throwing a three-hit shutout to lead the visiting Celtics to a 1-0 win over St. Laurence in a Catholic League Blue showdown in Burbank.
Sophomore infielder Eddie Olszta’s home run accounted for the only score of the game for Providence (19-2, 10-1). Jackson Smith, Jacob Garcia and Mitch Voltz each had singles.
Senior lefty Rodney Lester did his best to match O’Donnell on the mound for St. Laurence (16-7, 7-3). He also threw a complete game, striking out four and allowing one run on four hits. Illinois State recruit Luke Stulga, Daniel Coyle and Michael Carrano each had a single.
O’Donnell shut the Vikings down despite not recording a strikeout.
“He located everything well,” Providence catcher Enzo Infelise said. “His pitches were all working. Even though he wasn’t getting the K’s that he wanted, he was making them put the ball in play and good things happened.
“Our infield was making plays for him. It was an overall great game defensively.”
Smith, a second baseman, and shortstop Nolan Galla were especially huge for the Celtics defensively, while Jude Allen made a few smooth scoops at first base.
O’Donnell (4-0) lowered his ERA to 2.04. He’s also hitting .378 with three home runs and a team-high 28 RBIs.
“I worked hard in the offseason,” O’Donnell said. “I have a good group of guys around me. I’ve just been battling both ways.
“I came up to varsity toward the end last year to pitch and I played third in the playoffs. I think it was great because now I feel like I’m ready for those kinds of situations with high intensity. It’s just a lot of fun.”
Olszta ripped a towering home run to left field in the third inning for the only run.
“It felt pretty good,” Olszta said. “I was just looking fastball first pitch and I got it — took a nice swing and hit it out.
“This was a huge win. It puts us in a good position in the CCL Blue.”
The Celtics swept this week’s two-game series against the Vikings with a pair of one-run wins, including a walk-off 6-5 victory Tuesday.
Even a fantastic performance from Lester couldn’t prevent that.
“Rodney was outstanding,” St. Laurence coach Pete Lotus said. “He executed everything we talked about on pretty much every single pitch. Unfortunately, he got beat on one pitch and that’s the game.
“I was really proud of his effort and ours as a team because we hit some balls hard and kind of hit it right at them. They made plays, so credit to them.”
O’Donnell, meanwhile, has impressed Providence coach Mark Smith since late last season, including when he hit a three-run homer in a sectional semifinal loss to Lincoln-Way West.
“Ironically, when he brought him up, it was originally just to pitch,” Smith said of O’Donnell. “We knew he played third base, too. We had some injuries and we were struggling at the time, so we were like, ‘Let’s give Nate a shot. We’ve got nothing to lose.’
“He went out there and showed he could play with those guys, even as a freshman. Nate’s a very good baseball player.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.