CURTIN RISES
Mount Carmel pitcher, bound for Creighton, deilvers with wins over Brother Rice, St. Laurence
Senior left-hander Shane Curtin was more than ready for Mount Carmel’s big Catholic League Blue showdowns with Brother Rice and St. Laurence.
“I’ve been looking forward to it all year,” Curtin said. “Games like this, we bring everything we have. Brother Rice and St. Laurence in back-to-back series, I’ve had that marked on the calendar forever.
“This is the best time of the year.” Curtin, a Creighton recruit, was terrific on the mound against the powerful lineups, earning wins against both the Crusaders and Vikings.
He allowed four runs over six innings April 25 in a 6-4 win over Brother Rice.
Curtin came on in relief in the fourth inning of Wednesday’s game against St. Laurence that had been suspended due to rain April 30.
He tossed seven innings, striking out seven and allowing just two unearned runs as the Caravan (18-8-1) completed a two-game sweep of St. Laurence with a 4-3 win in 10 innings.
“Shane is a bulldog out there,” Mount Carmel coach Brian Hurry said. “He’s a tough competitor. He comes out ready to battle and compete with heart. That’s the Mount Carmel way.
“He throws strikes. He’s a smart pitcher. He knows what he has to do to get outs.”
Curtin, who is 4-0 with a 1.33 ERA, has fed off the competition within a Mount Carmel pitching staff that is loaded with Division I commits.
Oklahoma recruit Julien Hachem and Western Michigan recruit Michael Kelly are lefties like Curtin.
“When you have three lefties all with the same kind of stuff, it brings out the best in all of us,” Curtin said. “We’re always comparing pitch grips and finishes and we learn a lot from each other.
“We’re all lefties, but we all have different off-speeds, so we can show each other some different stuff.”
Hurry sees his pitchers pushing each other.
“They’re in the weight room together,” Hurry said. “They’re in the bullpen working together. It’s a really special feeling, the camaraderie they have.”
Curtin hopes the Caravan can go on a big postseason run. Then it will be time to focus on pitching in the Big East.
“I’m really excited about Creighton,” Curtin said. “It’s a great fit for me and a great program. It’s been a goal of mine to play Division I baseball at a big school for a long time, so it feels great to know that I’m going to do that.”
Honoring Connor: Lockport hosted its annual Strike Out Cancer game Saturday.
This year’s event had deeper meaning as funds were raised for the CC2 Forever Foundation, dedicated to Connor Christian, a 2021 graduate and former Porter baseball player who died last July after a battle with brain cancer.
The Porters (21-3) beat Minooka 16-6, led by a huge performance from junior third baseman Anthony Martinez, who was 3-for-3 with a home run and six RBIs.
“It was amazing and there was not a better day to do it,” Martinez said. “When I came up to the varsity last season as a sophomore, Connor welcomed me and made me feel like family.
“I was thinking of Connor on all my hits. He was definitely with me (Saturday).”
Milestone victory: Andrew’s 12-0 win over Stagg on April 28 marked the 300th victory for coach Dave DeHaan, who has coached the Thunderbolts since 2008.
“It just means I’m getting old and I’ve coached a lot of good players,” DeHaan said. “It’s been fun. It’s been a good ride.”
Andrew (10-10) has shown its potential with wins over Mount Carmel, Homewood-Flossmoor and Providence but has been up and down.
“We just need to be more consistent,” DeHaan said.