LEADING BY EXAMPLE

As the manager of Trinity Softball, Rafe O'Donnell has spent a lot of time making sure everyone else is in the right position to succeed. This week, he reminded everyone that he can still do plenty of damage himself.

In Trinity's week six doubleheader against North Main, O'Donnell put together his best individual performance of the 2026 season — and one of the better nights anyone on this roster has had all year. He went 5-for-7 across both games with a double, a triple, 4 RBIs, and 2 runs scored. It was the kind of night that turns heads, and it earned him his first Player of the Week honor of the season.

Game one set the tone. O'Donnell came out locked in from his first at-bat and never really cooled off. He was one of several guys swinging it well in a high-scoring affair, but his production stood out in a lineup that finished with 25 hits and 16 RBIs as a team. It was a big offensive night for Trinity but ultimately not enough, falling 16-23. Still, it showed he was locked in and ready for game two.

Game two he kept it going, and saved his biggest moment for when it mattered most. With Trinity trailing and the game on the line in the top of the seventh, O'Donnell stepped up and ripped a triple — and then scored as the 9th run to tie the game at 9. In that moment, the manager became the hero. It was exactly the kind of clutch at-bat that gets remembered. Unfortunately Trinity couldn't hold on and dropped game two 9-10, which made the triple bittersweet in the end — but that doesn't take anything away from the moment. He gave his team a chance when they needed it most, and that's all you can ask.

What makes this one a little special is the context. Rafe O'Donnell has been a part of Trinity Softball since the very beginning. He's been here longer than most, and he's the guy who keeps everything running week in and week out as the team's manager. That kind of role doesn't always leave room for individual recognition — you're focused on the team, the lineup, the decisions. But this week number 63 stepped out from behind all of that and let his bat do the talking.

He's been a steady presence in this lineup all season long, and it's no surprise to anyone who watches this team regularly that he put up a night like this. It was just a matter of when, not if.