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Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 3 Providence Catholic

March 11, 2024
By: Gavin Smith
Area Scout, Content

The Illinois high school baseball season kicks off on March 11, opening day for regular season action under IHSA regulations. Over the next two weeks, leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2024 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, counting down through the official Prep Baseball Illinois Preseason Power 25 Rankings.

Perennially, we’ve submitted a preseason questionnaire to high school head coaches across the entire state. Their responses have been flooding in and we’re using the detailed insight they’ve provided in our team-by-team preseason analysis.

Our 2024 preseason coverage continues today.

High School: Providence Catholic Celtics
Preseason Rank: No. 3
Head Coach: Mark Smith
Classification: 4A
Conference: Chicago Catholic League Blue
2023 Record (Finish): 30-7-1 (Lost in Sectional Semi-Finals)
Key Players Lost: Gavin Gomez (2024), Ryan Hussey (Xavier), Drew Zemaitis (Xavier), Jude Allen (Wisconsin-Parkside), Aidan Duggan (Cameron University), Will Withers (Wisconsin-Oshkosh), and AJ Vinci (St. Louis)

 

ROSTER PREVIEW

No. of Returning Positional Starters: Six
No. of Returning Pitchers: Six
Team Strengths: Versatility & Depth

NAME STATE CLASS POS COMMITMENT
Bobby Kutt IL 2024 INF Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Ethan Ganz IL 2024 RHP Lewis
Jackson Smith IL 2024 INF Bradley
John Greenwood IL 2024 1B North Park
Michael Roberson IL 2024 C/1B John A. Logan JC
Mitch Voltz IL 2024 OF -
Patrick Wajda IL 2024 LHP/OF Milwaukee Area JC
Enzo Infelise IL 2025 C/1B Oklahoma
Nolan Galla IL 2025 INF Xavier
Nate O'Donnell IL 2025 INF/RHP Creighton
Eddie Olszta IL 2025 INF -
Cooper Eggert IL 2025 RHP/OF -
Blake Jenner IL 2025 C/OF -
Sammy Atkinson IL 2026 OF/INF -

X-FACTOR

C/1B Enzo Infelise (2025; Oklahoma commit) is one of the state’s top junior prospects, and we’re expecting to see him make a big splash on this year’s Celtic squad, just like last season. A strong 6-foot-1, 229-pound frame, Infelise has all kinds of power in his right-handed bat. At an event this winter, he hit five balls 100 mph or higher, including his hardest hit ball at 101.4 mph. He has a mature approach at the plate, and we have continuously seen Infelise hit and challenge pitchers in-game. Defensively, he has a clean glove-to-hand transfer, and he’s recorded pop times as low as 1.86 with a top velocity of 83 mph on throws to the bag. His arm plays on the infield, too, recording a 90 mph bullet on his best throw across the diamond. In 2023, Infelise was named a PBR Second Team All-State member after slashing .525/.636/.717 with two home runs, 13 doubles and 35 RBIs as a sophomore.

NEWCOMER TO WATCH

OF Sammy Atkinson (2026) is an athletic 5-foot-8, 156-pound prospect that will likely find some time on varsity this year. He’s a 6.9 runner, and we’ve seen him spray line drives with a short, simple right-handed swing. Atkinson produced a 94.1 mph max exit velocity at the Illinois State Games last August. Defensively, he’s a fluid mover with steady glovework, and he’ll likely provide the Celtics with depth in the outfield and infield.

TEAM OUTLOOK

2023 Future Games alumni, INF/RHP Nate O’Donnell (2025; Creighton commit) will find some time both on the mound and in the field this season. An impressive bat at the plate, O’Donnell has an intentful right-handed swing, and he blasted balls to the right-center gap at the Future Games last July. He has an above-average arm across the diamond as well, registering 85 mph on his best throw across the diamond. On the mound we’ve seen his fastball sit 83-85 mph, topping out at 86.5 mph with some arm-side run.

MIF Jackson Smith (2024; Bradley commit) and C/1B Michael Roberson (2024; John A. Logan commit) are a pair of seniors that will provide an offensive impact for the Celtics this spring. Smith has an athletic and fluid left-handed swing that found a ton of success last season. He was named a member of the 2023 PBR Third Team All-State list after slashing .511/.578/.772 with three home runs, 15 doubles, 29 RBIs and 44 runs scored. Roberson stands in a strong 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame, and we’ve seen him record a max exit velocity of 92.7 mph out of his right-handed swing. Behind the plate, he’s recorded a pop time of 1.88 and a top catcher velocity of 83 mph.

Xavier commit, MIF Nolan Galla (2025) will likely be a spark plug this year. He’s a sure-handed defender with smooth actions up the middle. At the plate, Galla has a short and compact right-handed swing.

RHP/OF Cooper Eggert (2025) will be a high-follow uncommitted prospect for this upcoming spring season. On the mound, Eggert has a clean and athletic delivery, and our scouts have seen him top out at 87 mph with his fastball. He also has a sharp, 11/5 shaped curveball, and a mid-70s change-up with fade. He’s a left-handed hitter at the plate, and he’s shown ease and fluidity in his swing, while producing a max exit velocity of 96.4 mph.

INF Eddie Olszta (2025) is yet another talented junior for the Celtics, and he’s still uncommitted, too. He has a loose swing and he’s shown the ability to consistently barrel the baseball, producing an average exit velocity of 88.9 mph. Defensively, he has athletic and fluid actions with a strong arm across the field (86 mph). C/OF Blake Jenner (2025) is another junior name to note. It’s likely that he will be utilized in multiple positions this spring, and he’ll only add to the depth on this roster.

Some more senior’s to note on this year’s team are: INF Bobby Kutt (Wisconsin-Oshkosh commit), RHP Ethan Ganz, 1B John Greenwood (North Park commit), OF Mitch Voltz, and LHP/OF Patrick Wajda (Milwaukee Area JC commit).

RHP Kasten Goebbert (2025), RHP Kyle Lipke (2024), and RHP Edward Konow (2024) will fill out the rest of the rotation for the Celtics this year. Goebbert is a 6-foot-3, 172-pound uncommitted arm that sat 86-87 mph with his fastball at one of our events this winter.

RHP Eddie Olszta, RHP Jackson Smith, RHP Cole Harris (2025), RHP Enzo Infelise, and RHP Ethan Ganz will add more depth to the pitching staff, and they’ll each be relied on for some time out of the bullpen.

BOTTOM LINE

The Celtics’ offense is one of the most talented in the state this year, and they have depth at all positions. They return a number of talented juniors and seniors that have experience on a 30-win team from last year, which included a Regional Championship. If their pitching can provide quality innings and limit runs, their offense should have no trouble producing and giving them a chance to win every time they take the field.

Find more information on the 2024 Providence Catholic program below:

+ Follow them on X: @CelticBASE
+ Visit the Prep Baseball Illinois Preseason Power 25 homepage

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