It’s a rare thing that Oak Forest junior Nicholas Segreti is able to throw four pitches.
You don’t see that every often at the high school level.
But to be able to throw all four — fastball, curveball, slider and change-up — effectively and with confidence? Well, that’s even more uncommon, and bad news for most opponents.
“I feel like I can locate it no matter what the count or who the hitter is,” said Segreti, an imposing 6-foot-2 right-hander. “I like to locate better than anything else.”
Segreti did that Friday while adjusting to a tight strike zone early on, tossing a one-hit gem for a 12-0 victory over visiting Argo in a South Suburban Conference crossover.
In all, Segreti faced 14 batters for the Bengals (23-9, 16-3 SSC Blue) and struck out 10, including eight in a row at one point. Mateo Gamboa contributed two doubles, two runs and an RBI. Tyler Gentile added a double, a run and three RBIs.
The only hit the Argonauts (5-19-2, 4-14-1 SSC Red) could muster against Segreti was a double in the first inning by Valente Melero.
Segreti, who also plays basketball and soccer, is one of a host of juniors that coach Ron Czarnecki has been working with since fifth grade. That effort is paying off this season.
One of those juniors is catcher Christian DeGroot, who goes by the nickname “Moose.” He’s been catching Segreti since age 7, so he’s seen firsthand the evolution of Oak Forest’s ace.
“He’s just dominating the mound at all times,” DeGroot said. “If something goes wrong, he’s smiling. He’s enjoying the game. He’s locating his pitches. He’s doing everything right.
“He’s going to give it 100% every single time. He goes seven innings almost every game.”
Baseball is Segreti’s primary sport and has been since he started at age 5 in T-ball.
These days, he plays travel in the offseason with Oak Forest teammates DeGroot, Andrew Lucas and Gamboa. DeGroot and Gamboa each scored twice and had an RBI Friday. Lucas drove in a pair of runs.
And Segreti? He reached on an error and walked, scoring twice.
Segreti made the jump to Oak Forest’s varsity last spring, and even though Czarnecki said he wasn’t the team’s ace, he did get the start in a loss to Lemont in a Class 3A regional championship game.
That was then, this is now. Well before each start, you’ll see Segreti alone, hard at work on his preparation — full uniform on, stretching out, giving a pep talk to his teammates and focusing on his bullpen session.
Thus, when the game starts, he’s ready.
“One of my goals this year was making sure I could keep myself and my teammates mentally locked in,” he said.
Segreti said his other goal is simple — winning the regional and erasing the memory of that loss to Lemont. It will be a challenge for the third-seeded Bengals, but once again, focus and confidence are what drive him.
According to Czarnecki, Segreti will only get bigger and stronger for his senior year. That will make him even more difficult for opponents to figure out.
As far as playing in college, Czarnecki sees that as a strong possibility for Segreti.
“If we can get a little run in the playoffs, more people can be exposed to what he can do,” Czarnecki said.
Segreti’s four pitches should take him far, which is exactly where he wants to go.
“I would love to play in college,” he said. “I love the game of baseball. To take it a step further, play in college and have the college experience, that would be awesome.”
Gregg Voss is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
