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Marist junior Caroline O’Brien has already punched her ticket to Notre Dame as an outfielder/third baseman.
But the Irish coaching staff might be getting even more than they bargained for.
O’Brien will be the starting catcher this season at Marist.
“I hadn’t caught in a while, but coach has been telling me that I was going to catch my junior year,” O’Brien said. “So I’ve been keeping my skills up to date.
“When they found out (at Notre Dame) about it, they were like, ‘Oh, wow. You’re going to catch?’ I was like, ‘Yeah.’ It was kind of a ‘surprise, good luck’ type of deal.”
O’Brien was steady Thursday behind the plate and had a hot hand in the batter’s box for the RedHawks in a 15-0 nonconference victory in four innings over host Evergreen Park.
Northwestern recruit Isabel Cunnea hit two home runs for Marist (2-1). O’Brien, Maia Pietrzak, Gabi Novickas, Camryn Lyons and Nayeli Scott also took part in a seven-homer outburst.
Charley Burns and Dora Cihocki each had hits for Evergreen Park (2-2).
Batting in the leadoff sport, O’Brien got things rolling for the RedHawks with a first-inning triple. Pietrzak and Cunnea followed with back-to-back home runs.
That’s called being a catalyst.
“Something I learned in travel ball is that speed kills,” O’Brien said. “I try to use it whenever I can, attack and be aggressive.”
She also joined the home run parade in the third inning with a towering drive.
“Last season I had a couple, but I really don’t focus on home runs,” O’Brien said. “I just try to hit the ball and move the runners. This time, I just got a good pitch.”
Catching pitches is what has her the most excited.
Before she played any other position, O’Brien was directing from behind the plate.
“I caught from 10-U to 11-U,” O’Brien said. “Then I was moved to the outfield for a while, and then last fall, I played some infield. Wherever they needed me.”
When she arrived at Marist, positions were taken basically everywhere. It led to a heart-to-heart talk with RedHawks coach Colleen Phelan.
“We were so impressed with her when she tried out her freshman year,” Phelan said. “It was a no-brainer that she could be a part of the team. But I told her, ‘Hey, we’d like you here as a role player, but you could be a starter on the JV team. What are your thoughts?’
“She said, ‘I want to be on the varsity team.’ And she told me after that, it was the most fun she’s ever had playing softball in her life. She barely played, but she had a ton of fun.”
As a sophomore, O’Brien played center field and was the backup catcher for Wisconsin recruit Emily Bojan. She did a lot of watching — and learning — from one of the best backstops in program history.
“We kind of knew my freshman year that I’d probably be catching in the future,” O’Brien said. “So I spent the past two years looking and watching Emily.
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“I really took it seriously and also learned from the pitchers from the past two years about what they like and how I can bring leadership behind the plate.”
O’Brien is guiding a very young Marist pitching staff. And she has been a rock defensively.
In Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to Lemont, she fought through terrible field conditions to tag out two runners trying to score.
Wherever. Whenever. She gets it done.
“She is the true utility player,” Cunnea said. “Caroline literally is so for the team, it’s absurd. She will do anything if it helps put Marist ahead.
“I remember me and her, we’d always talk about how excited we were for this season. She was so excited and so happy to get the opportunity to play at Marist.
“She is the epitome of Marist softball.”
