By Sean Duncan

Two years ago, Providence Catholic was a faint blip on the Illinois high school baseball radar, a young team fighting for respectability in the state?s toughest conference, the Chicago Catholic Blue. The Celtics took their lumps that year, and entered the playoffs as a No. 16 seed in the state?s most competitive sectional.

One and done, no doubt.

Not quite. Playing with four sophomores in the lineup, Providence strung together four consecutive one-run victories, including a comeback win over Downers Grove North, followed by upsets over Lincoln-Way East and Joliet Township, then knocked off defending champion Neuqua Valley, 4-3. Before they knew it, the Bambi-eyed Celtics found themselves in the sectional final, and had Naperville Central on the ropes before succumbing 5-4 on a walk-off homer in the bottom of the eighth inning.

?Our sophomore year, no one really thought much of us,? said three-year starting shortstop Joe Houlihan. ?We were really young and didn?t know what to expect. But baseball is a game of confidence, and we got it in the playoffs.?

Empowered by its improbable playoff run, Providence carried its new-found swagger into 2010. And it showed. The Celtics steamrolled through the Catholic League, winning its first 11 games en route to a 16-2 conference record to claim its first championship since 2003.

Now seniors, the Celtics are flush with confidence. Moreover, they?re flush with talent. How much talent exactly? Heading into the season, the Celtics already have nine college commitments on their roster, six of which are Division I signees. Coach Mark Smith, a 1988 Providence graduate, said he expects five more seniors will sign by season?s end, not to mention Providence features several high-level junior prospects as well.

?Last year we started to really gel as a team,? said LHP/OF Matt Trowbridge, a Central Michigan recruit who?s been the Celtics? ace since his sophomore year. ?This year, we have the talent to make it all the way and be part of a championship team. We?ve all been working as hard as ever to be the best we can be.?

Smith enters his fifth year at Providence after spending 14 seasons as associate head coach at Joliet Junior College. It didn?t take him long to understand that he had something special with this group of seniors.

?Since they were freshmen we were targeting 2011 as a big year,? said Smith, whose team advanced to the Final Four of the IHSBCA summer state tournament.

With all but one starter back from last year?s 25-12 team and an embarrassment of riches on the mound, Providence is the undeniable Prep Baseball Report preseason No. 1 team.

Around the horn, Providence?s infield is manned by a Division I recruit. Senior third baseman Sam Travis, who?s signed at Indiana University, provides the middle-of-the-lineup thump and is a top-level defensive player. Last year, the three-year starter batted .486 with 8 doubles, 5 homers and 32 RBI. And Travis always seemed to do his best work when the team needed him most.

?It?s no secret the boy can swing it,? said Smith. ?He?s a hard-nosed player, and you know what you?re going to get from him every day. As a sophomore, he was the best hitter in the program.?

Houlihan (4 HR, 23 RBI, 27 runs), a Central Michigan recruit who was also the star quarterback on the football team, anchors a defense that committed only 37 errors last season. His double-play partner, Kevin DeFilippis (.365 BA, 7 doubles, 12 SB) is also an athletic, sure-handed infielder who?s signed at Notre Dame. Senior first baseman and left-handed pitcher Collin McEnery (.400 BA, 28 RBI) is a three-year starter who is signed at Indiana University. Senior catcher Dan Potempa (.421 BA, 8 HR) is also a big run-producer in the middle.

Providence also has plenty of depth in the outfield. Seniors Danny Wetzel, Nick Gould, Trowbridge and Dominic Olfzpa all return, and speedy junior Brady Wilkin should also factor into the lineup.

?We know we have a lot of talent,? said Travis. ?We just have to play as a team and not think about ourselves. We still have a lot to work on.?

As skilled and experienced as Providence is in the field, its seemingly endless pitching depth is what separates this team from the rest of the state. Smith can go 10 deep in his staff with no problem. Trowbridge, a 5-foot-9, 155-pound left-hander, has been the Celtics? big-game pitcher since his sophomore year. In two varsity seasons, Trowbridge has amassed an 11-2 record with 131 strikeouts against Providence?s toughest opponents.

?I?ve been proving people wrong pretty much my whole life,? said Trowbridge, whose arm strength belies his size. ?I just go out there and pitch. You?ve got to work to be the best, and you?ve got to play to be the best.?

Brandon Magallones, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound right-hander, has electric stuff, as the Northwestern recruit proved at the Super 60 Pro Showcase in February, flashing an 89-91 mph fastball and a sharp two-plane breaking ball. Early in his junior year, Magallones grew four inches and gained 20 pounds. He emerged mid-way through last season and finished with a 6-2 record.

Wetzel, a St. Xavier recruit, enjoyed a breakout summer behind a mid-80s fastball and excellent control, and McEnery (3-1 record) has been pitching on varsity since his sophomore year. Junior left-hander Zach Kutsulis and junior right-hander David Hearne are both Division I prospects. Senior right-handers Dan Cwiertniak (Upper Iowa University), Dominic Quaranta and Austin Vazquez all should see innings as well.

?We have great depth in our pitching staff,? said Magallones. ?We all have confidence in ourselves and each other. I think we have the talent and determination to go all the way.?

Said Smith: ?The goal is to be playing in mid-June. The kids? eyes are on the big prize, and that?s the goal. The kids know the system, and they know what to do. They just have to go out and play.?

Rounding out the Prep Baseball Report?s Preseason Top 25 Teams:

2. Downers Grove South

3. Nazareth Academy

4. St. Rita

5. St. Laurence

6. New Trier

7. Plainfield North

8. Lemont

9. Mount Carmel

10. Glenwood

11. Harrisburg

12. Lyons Township

13. Lake Zurich

14. Cary-Grove

15. Oak Park-River Forest

16. O?Fallon

17. Westminster Christian

18. Sandburg

19. Stevenson

20. Neuqua Valley

21. Teutopolis

22. Illinois Valley Central

23. Streamwood

24. St. Charles North

25. Edwardsville

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