Providence’s Kelley Rourke was all smiles after Wednesday’s game against Marian Catholic.
The St. Mary’s of Notre Dame recruit had been one of the hitting stars, with two singles and a line-drive home run that left the park in a hurry.
“I’m a line-drive hitter,” Rourke said. “I am not a home run hitter. Coming off the bat it felt great, but honestly, I thought it was going to hit a gap and the right fielder was going to dive and catch it.
“When I saw it go over, I was really excited. I just felt a joy for my team.”
Most of all, the senior second baseman was happy to be a Celtic after the 13-0 five-inning nonconference victory.
Abilene Christian recruit Gianna Russo added a single, double and home run for Providence (10-4). Sophomore right-hander Kailee O’Sullivan allowed one hit while striking out five. She also contributed two hits.
Brooke Waddle had a double for Marian Catholic (7-6).
The road to senior success for Rourke at Providence has been filled with frustration, hard work and humility.
As a junior, she didn’t crack the starting lineup.
“I didn’t get much playing time,” Rourke said. “I thought that I worked really hard for my spot and I wasn’t seeing the outcome that I thought I would.”
The disappointment boiled over around midseason, when Rourke left the team.
“It was a very hard decision,” Rourke said. “After I quit, I was like, ‘Did I make the right decision?’ I did miss it.
“I knew that summer was coming up, travel ball was coming up. I worked really hard with my travel coaches and got my confidence back.”
Following the high school season, Jay Biesterfeld stepped down as Providence’s coach and was replaced by assistant Jim Holba.
Holba and Rourke met in November to discuss her return to the team.
“I just told her, ‘I get it. Things happen. You’re a teenager,'” Holba said. “Every year you should get a chance to come back.
“I thought she handled it really well. I think she knew enough about me as a person that she felt comfortable.”
But also realistic.
“Coach Holba was very appreciative that I was willing to come back,” Rourke said. “I told him I was willing to work hard and I knew nothing was guaranteed.
“That’s how I went into the season. I knew I’d have to work really hard to get a starting spot my senior year.”
This season, Rourke is hitting .344 with two homers and 12 RBIs.
Her other home run came in a comeback victory over St. Laurence. She also had a walk-off, game-winning hit against Loyola.
“She’s a natural leader,” Holba said. “She’s very talkative, which is good because a lot of our seniors are very quiet and reserved. Kelley is a student of the game and she’s very helpful in that respect.”
Another pleasant surprise for the Celtics has been O’Sullivan.
In 2021, the pitcher/utility player was ticketed to be a varsity contributor as a freshman, but had to miss the season due to a broken finger on her pitching hand.
“In a travel game, I dove for a ball that was thrown to the right of me,” O’Sullivan said. “I don’t really remember if I stuck my glove out or my glove never got there if I stuck my hand out. Basically, my finger was destroyed into a million pieces.
“It has really taken me a full year to be better than where I was. But it’s pretty good now.”
O’Sullivan has a 2-1 record as a pitcher. She’s batting .407 with four doubles, three home runs and eight RBIs.
“It’s been exciting,” O’Sullivan said. “I was looking forward to coming into high school here and then I got hurt. This is really big for me to come out here and be with all of these girls.”