Last fall was frustrating for Anthony Cartolano, who broke his right arm in August and missed all of what was supposed to be his first varsity football season for Brother Rice.

Instead, the sophomore outfielder had all that extra time to think about baseball. He was more than a little amped up to get back to competing on the diamond this spring.

“Breaking my arm and being out for that long, the biggest challenge was mentally,” Cartolano said. “It was hard just to stay mentally high. Getting down was pretty easy, but I knew I had to get back up fast.

“I love playing baseball, and it’s fun to be back.”

While Cartolano, who suffered the injury in football practice, has to wait to showcase his skills as a wide receiver on varsity, he’s sure made a quite a splash in his first full season of varsity baseball.

He helped the Crusaders win a conference title Saturday. Cartolano’s two-run single was a key hit as host Brother Rice topped St. Laurence for a 6-2 Catholic League Blue win in Chicago.

Braydon McKendrick threw six-plus innings, striking out four and allowing two earned runs on just two hits and three walks for the Crusaders (29-2, 13-1).

Eastern Michigan recruit Aidan Nohava went 2-for-3 with a home run, while Arizona commit Gavin Triezenberg added a two-run double and Joshua Torres finished 2-for-3 with an RBI single.

Brother Rice needed to sweep St. Laurence (26-5, 12-2) in the final two-game series of the conference season and did just that to win its first Catholic League Blue title since 2022. That set off a raucous celebration with students storming the field to join the team.

“Honestly, there’s no better feeling,” Nohava said. “Seeing my teammates with smiles on their faces puts a bigger smile on mine. We’ve got all my buddies coming out to watch us at this new field with this atmosphere. You can’t recreate it anywhere else.

“I love it. There’s nothing better.”

Louisville recruit Cory Les homered for the Vikings. Orlando Vazquez added a single, with Jimmy Benson striking out five over 4 2/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on five hits.

Cartolano, however, ripped a two-run single to left field in the third inning to give the Crusaders a 3-0 lead.

“I had two strikeouts I shouldn’t have had,” Cartolano said. “The pressure got me, but that’s going to happen sometimes. You can’t be perfect all the time. But in that at-bat, I manned up with two strikes, put the ball in play, and good things happen when you swing the bat.”

A lot of good things have been happening for Cartolano, who landed an inside-the-park home run during Thursday’s 12-2 win over St. Laurence.

In addition to playing sparkling defense, he’s hitting .403 with 29 runs, 26 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. After batting him near the bottom of the lineup early in the season, coach Sean McBride has moved Cartolano up to the No. 2 spot.

“He’s been awesome, man,” McBride said. “For a young kid, he really believes in himself. He plays the game like a senior. He leads by his intensity and fire. He’s been a spark plug.

“We’re lucky he’s just a young buck and we’ve got him for a couple more years.”

Cartolano’s speed has been a game changer for the Crusaders. He said he owes that to football.

“Football transformed my body and made me faster overall,” he said. “Competing year-round makes me a better overall athlete and a better player in both sports.”

It’s been a fun ride so far for Cartolano, but he’s ready for more.

“It’s really exciting, but we’re just getting started,” he said. “Playoffs are next. We’re going to state.”