A picture-perfect swing developed through endless hours of practice made Ted Williams one of the greatest hitters who ever lived.  A high school baseball player in 3A Bandera has impressed his coach and his peers with a similar work ethic and endless hours of practice and has had some impressive success at the plate.

 
Ethan Lutz, a Senior P/1B from Bandera, batted .622 in 2007 with 24 singles, 19 doubles, and 5 home runs.  Though no official state wide records are kept in 3A baseball, his .622 avg. seems to have been the #1 ranked average among 3A players last year and the 19 doubles would have to have been ranked very high as well.

 
Lutz has had this much success because he is a driven baseball player.  He works hard because he is a competitor and because he wants to play at the next level after high school.  “Ethan is a remarkable kid,” says Bandera baseball coach Richard Vossen.  “He throws and hits every day during the off season.  I have tried to get him to take some time off to rest and make sure that he doesn't burn out and quite honestly, he CAN'T do it.  He is passionate about the game he obviously loves and he leads his teammates to much higher levels as well.”

 
It is not unusual for Ethan to take 250 swings when he does his workout in the batting cages off the Iron Mike Pitching Machine.  The first 125 are just straight cuts and the next 125 he works on bunting, drag bunting, and slashes mixed in with hitting to locations:  up the middle, deep pull, and opposite field drives.  Then sometimes he will take 50+ more swings hitting to the gaps.

 
Though Lutz has had incredible success with his hitting, you might be surprised that he slightly favors pitching over hitting.  “When you are pitching you are always in control,” Lutz explains.  “The game is in your hands and you get to decide how it is going to go. The best part of pitching is when you are just striking people out left and right. The other team has no idea what to do to hit the ball and the third base coach just gets quite because he knows there is no longer anything he can say or do because you are just having one of those games.”

 
The 6’1”, 195, right hand pitcher held opponents batting average to .086 last year and had a 0.69 ERA, striking out 125 batters in 71 1/3 innings.   He became such a force at both the plate and on the mound that the league’s coaches named him the 25-3A MVP.  He was also named as the 3^rd Team All-State 1B by the Texas Sports Writers Association in 2007..

 
“His success in high school has been developed through hard work and a comittment to perfection and a true hatred for losing,” said Coach Vossen.  “On top of all this, we get a young man that listens, has great maturity, and respects his coaches and does whatever is asked of him without question.”

 
Lutz hopes to play baseball in college but has not had any offers yet.  “This kid no doubt will play beyond High School,” said Coach Vossen.  “We will miss him but he will soar like an eagle at the next level and continue to make us proud, of that I have no doubt.”

 
Bandera lost quite a few seniors from last year’s team but optimism is still high in the Bulldog camp.  Lutz is returning as the staff ace and #2 pitcher Michael Campbell, also a senior, is a returning 1^st Team All-District Performer.  The Bulldogs also return the 25-3A Co-Newcomer of the Year in Junior Pitcher/Short Stop Brandon Jennings.  “We should be defensively sound and have solid pitching this year,” said Lutz.  “All in all we will be a very competitive team.

 
With Lutz’s leadership and his contagious work ethic, the Bandera Bulldogs just may improve upon last year’s area round finish in the playoffs.