Close game, regional title on the line. Who are you going to call?
For Brother Rice on May 31, the answer was a trio of senior relievers: Tadgh Callaghan, Danny Sheehan and Jackson Natanek.
“We started playing together as sophomores when we went on that run, which was crazy,” Sheehan said. “We have been doing this for a long time.”
After a 20-15 regular season in 2023, Brother Rice advanced all the way to the Class 4A title game before falling 6-4 to Edwardsville.
This year’s Crusaders slipped past Fenwick 5-4 on May 31 to win their ninth straight regional and improve to 33-3.
Callaghan relieved starter Brayden McKendrick with two out in the fourth inning. Callaghan gave up a pair of RBI singles before getting out of the inning with a strikeout.
Sheehan came in next and tossed two no-hit innings before Natanek closed it out for the Crusaders.
“It was special that it was three seniors who have been playing for a while to do that,” Sheehan said.
Helping those relievers has been pitching coach Drew Dominik. Before coaching at Brother Rice, the 27-year-old Oak Forest native played for Saint Xavier and Evansville.
“Shoutout to our pitching coach,” Rice head coach Sean McBride said after the game. “He has those guys ready and we have confidence in all of them.”
Players have gravitated toward Dominik for a variety of reasons, but it’s what they learned from him that has stuck with them.
“He’s young so we can relate to each other more since we are similar in age,” Natanek said. “Also, he played Division I baseball and I think he knows what he is talking about.”
“The way he thinks about PitchCom, it’s really changed the way I think about the game,” Callaghan said.
Dominik liked what he saw out of his staff in the title game.
“They believed in their stuff and stayed on the attack,” Dominik said. “They found a way. We’ve been rolling so it was a fun one today.”
Natanek contributed not just on the mound, but at the plate as well. He went 1-for-1 with a run, a triple, a hit-by-pitch and a walk.
“I was just trying to get on base for my team,” Natanek said. “We were struggling to get baserunners and I was hoping my team could pick me if I got to third with less than two outs.”
All nine Rice starters reached base in the win.
Center fielder Nolan Ramoley was 1-for-2 with a run and two RBIs. Designated hitter Aiden Nohava and left fielder Gavin Stanislawski each had two hits and drove in a run. First baseman Brady Cunningham reached base twice, scored and drove in a run.