AUBURN — Patrolling shortstop for St. Dominic’s regional final-bound baseball team requires Caleb Dostie to have more range than he did protecting the net for the Saints’ regional champion hockey team. But the philosophy remains the same.

The results are pretty close to identical, too.

Dostie was the linchpin of the Saints’ defense late in the winter, emerging from a platoon in net to take over the duties full-time during the postseason and propel them to the state championship game.

Little more than three months later, he’s the center of the defense again, leading the Saints to their 11th Western Class C baseball final in 12 years against Sacopee Valley on Tuesday (3 p.m., St. Joseph’s College)

“He’s been our backbone in the infield,” St. Dom’s coach Bob Blackman said. “We couldn’t have done it without him.”

An all-conference second baseman as a junior, Dostie shifted to shortstop to start this season. Regardless of which side of second base he’s stood, and regardless of whether it’s a infielder’s glove or goalie’s trapper on his left hand, he’s used his quick hands, feet and mind to keep everything in front of him.

“You have to know you can make the play. You can’t be indecisive,” Dostie said of playing shortstop. “It’s just like playing goalie. If you’re indecisive, you’ll lose that opportunity to save the puck, just like on a ground ball, if you’re indecisive, you lose an opportunity to get a man out. And you’ve definitely got to show confidence.”

He admitted to being less than confident with the longer throws from the hole early in the season. But in an infield that had to deal with inexperience early and injuries late, he’s been a steadying, all-conference influence.

“I’m still learning the position, but I’m definitely a lot more confident than I was at the beginning of the year,” he said.

Despite the early uncertainty, Dostie never let it affect him at the plate. He led the team in hitting with a .452 average.

The Saints’ leadoff hitter, Dostie takes his job of sparking the offense seriously, but also doesn’t want to be typecast as a top-of-the-order slap hitter.

“He gets it started and the next guy wants to follow,” Blackman said. “The good part about the playoff games is the 7-8-9 guys in the order have been setting the table for Dostie at the top, and he’s been coming through and knocking them in.”

“I’m looking to get on base, especially in the first inning, however I can,” Dostie said. “The bottom of the order has been hitting really well, so after that I’m just like the fourth batter or the fifth batter (in the order). I always have the opportunity to drive in runs. I like that.”

Well-acquainted with Dostie’s competitive spirit, but also aware of his normally quiet demeanor, Blackman named him captain. Blackman has had a knack for developing ultra-competitive middle infielders, such as brother Casey and Alex Parker, ino team leaders, and figured Dostie would follow suit if he was brought out of his shell.

“He keeps the competitive fire going in these guys,” he said. “I think the rest of them are kind of laid back and look for that guidance, and Dostie’s the one that fires them up.”

“I’m not really much of a vocal guy, so when Coach made me captain, I kind of forced myself to be the vocal guy,” Dostie said. “It was tough at first, but you understand after awhile that guys respect you, guys are looking up to you, so you have to adjust to it.”

Adjusting to the unfamiliar Mahaney Diamond at St. Joe’s will be less of an issue for Dostie, who played there in last year’s regional final, than most of the players on both teams. The experience of playing there, and in pressure-packed games on the ice, could serve him, and the Saints, well. But only if they use that experience wisely.

“We have to make the least amount of mistakes, whether it’s mental mistakes or physical mistakes,” he said. “We’ve always got to stay up, keep our cool, stay positive, not get too high when something good happens, not get too low when something bad happens.