With a state-record sixth state championship on the line, Providence turned to junior pitcher Kasten Goebbert, a newcomer playing his first season of high school baseball.
Big stakes. A big crowd. And no sweat for Goebbert, who showed just how cool he is on the mound under any circumstances.
“I can’t say enough about the kid,” Celtics coach Mark Smith said of Goebbert. “He’s funny, he’s goofy, and he’s so relaxed and composed. Even this moment, it never got to him.
“He smiled the whole day.”
Goebbert gave green-clad Providence fans who packed Duly Health and Care Field in Joliet plenty to smile about Saturday night.
The Lockport transfer allowed just three hits and one earned run over six innings, leading the Celtics to a 4-1 victory over Conant in the Class 4A state championship game.
It’s the sixth state title in program history for the Celtics (33-8), who broke a tie with Edwardsville and Joliet Catholic for the most Illinois High School Association baseball championships.
Creighton recruit Nate O’Donnell went 2-for-2 with the key two-run single and also recorded the save. Oklahoma commit Enzo Infelise finished 2-for-4 with a run. Mitch Voltz singled and scored.
Matt Maize homered in the seventh inning to break the shutout for Conant (30-8).
Aside from that, Goebbert was in complete control for Providence.
And he was able to stay composed.
“You see the environment and all the people,” said Goebbert, who transferred from Lockport before the school year. “You just have to get out there and take a deep breath.
“It’s just another game, but it matters a lot more. I tried to stay relaxed and do my thing.”
When he joined the Celtics, Goebbert quickly learned about the history of the program and how much pride is taken in it.
“We were all hoping to win another state championship, and being in a program that wins them all the time, it makes it like a tradition,” Goebbert said. “We were just trying to do it again.”
Goebbert didn’t find out he was getting the start until earlier Saturday.
“I showed up to (batting practice) and (Smith) told me I was throwing,” Goebbert said. “I was so excited. I couldn’t wait.
“I’m happy he had that faith in me because I had faith in myself that I was going to go out there and get it done.”
Providence scored a run on an error in the second inning and broke the game open with three runs in the fourth. O’Donnell ripped a two-out, two-run single to center field for the big blow.
“That was huge,” O’Donnell said. “That was probably the game right there. It gave us all the momentum and a couple-run cushion. Those are the moments you work for.”
Smith, who won his fourth championship as a coach, has been a part of many of those types of moments. It never gets old.
“Six state championships, it says a lot about the people who came in before this group, the alumni who built the foundation,” Smith said. “I’m blessed to run this program. It’s special. It really is.”
This year’s Celtics believed from the beginning they were destined to finish the season on top.
“I always had confidence in this team,” Infelise said. “We always believed in each other. We knew we could beat anybody.”
Seven of the nine players in Providence’s starting lineup, both pitchers used in Saturday’s game and Cooper Eggert, who was the winning pitcher in Friday’s semifinal, are all underclassmen.
So, is title No. 7 coming next?
“I think we can do it again,” Infelise said.
First, there’s plenty of time to enjoy this championship. Goebbert, for one, certainly will.
“It’s been my favorite couple months of baseball I’ve ever played,” Goebbert said. “All the guys on the team and the coaches made it special. Us winning this game just makes it even better.”
