Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 11 Brother Rice

Sophomore C Jack Payton saw some time at the varsity level as a DH for the Crusaders down the stretch last season, so you know he has the bat ready for the level of competition he’ll be squaring off against in the Chicago Catholic League. The biggest obstacle in his way of playing time last year was senior C Andy Lopez (Lincoln Land CC), who has since graduated.

Pettis may be more of a corner outfielder on this team but has the athleticism to play all three spots. He has the bat to make an big impact offensively. Bolton (6.54 runner in the 60) profiles as a center fielder because of his exceptional speed and instincts. The left-handed hitter has top-of-the-order potential, too, because of his hand/eye skills and contact-first approach. And Doligale is more of a well-rounded position player. He’s an athletic defender that has the speed and arms strength to play all three outfield spots. Offensively, he has a loose left-handed swing with sneaky pop.

How many teams can find their way onto a list like this after losing four Division-I bound seniors and seven players in total who are playing college ball this spring? I can’t think of any, really, but Brother Rice is one. Maybe that’s because they have seven -- count ‘em -- D-I commits in their dugout right now.

The Crusaders have become a hotbed for Big Ten baseball talent in recent years, with two verbal commits among them now: senior 3B Sam Jones (Indiana), a three-year starter and captain, and the junior Bolton (Purdue).

Jones is going to be heavily leaned on to apply to his three years of varsity experience among a crowd of starters and contributors who have yet to receive regular playing time but will be expected to see the field more often in 2018. Losing their starting shortstop Ryan King (Michigan State) and their ace Ryan Kutt (Illinois) to graduation is an enormous hole to patch but this 2018 class of seniors is actually fit to see it done.

Taking over for King should be Illinois State commit and senior Patrick Hayes. He can handle himself in the batter’s box but his trustworthiness as a defender is what will make him so important for Brother Rice’s unseasoned pitching staff and will help Coach John McCarthy keep his own nerves in check. Though, he knows as well as anyone how ruthless the CCL is.

Last year, the Crusaders came out on top of that dogpile and won their conference, though they eventually fell in the sectional finals to familiar combatants St. Laurence. Brother Rice actually beat St. Rita to get to their meeting with the Vikings, too. The CCL beats up on each other and this year’s going to be more of the same. But Coach McCarthy is hoping the dogfight that is the CCL’s regular season schedule will help weather the number of inexperienced arms he’s set to have take the mound this season.

Apart from last year’s No. 3 starter, senior RHP Joey Payton (Central Michigan), go-to reliever and spot starter, senior LHP Ryan Palmblad (Central Michigan), and senior RHP Zach Litke (Concordia, IL), Brother Rice is going to be plugging the gaps in its rotation with junior or even possibly sophomore arms. Sophomore RHP Micah Gouwens might be one. He’s got some high upside because of his size and live, mid-80s arm. He should see some innings by the end of the spring.