Colin Campbell, who commits to Louisville in eighth grade, becomes Brother Rice’s spark plug. ‘Sets the tone.’
Colin Campbell committed to Louisville way back in eighth grade, so there was a big spotlight on him before he even got to Brother Rice. Handling those kinds of expectations has not always been easy for Campbell, who is now a junior infielder. But he’s learned how to turn what once felt like a burden into a positive.
“It was pressure at first but you just switch it to motivation,” Campbell said. “If some kid talks stuff about you or says you’re overrated or whatever, you just turn that into motivation and use it the right way. ” Campbell has certainly been doing that this spring for the Crusaders.
He continued to provide a spark from the leadoff spot Saturday, coming through with two doubles and two runs to lead visiting Brother Rice to a 12-2 Catholic League Blue win over St. Rita in five innings in Chicago. Boston College recruit Luca Agne went 2-for-3 with two runs, a double and four RBIs for the Crusaders (17-8, 7-1), while Joey Escobarete finished 3-for-3 with two runs out of the No.
9 spot. “I’m just trying to put the ball in play, get on base and do something for my team,” Escobarete said. “We’ve got a lot of great hitters in this lineup and we all push each other.
” Texas A&M commit Brady Cunningham struck out seven over three innings, allowing one earned run on three hits to earn the pitching win for Brother Rice. He also added an RBI single. Nick Cegielski came up with a pinch-hit double and scored a run for St.