Stewart Staying Close To Home At Ohio University

LANGSVILLE - Living in Meigs County on the border of West Virginia, exposure to college baseball coaches was limited for Ethan Stewart until hooking up with the Huntington Hounds.

“I was playing lower travel ball,” reflected Stewart. “But my high school friend Ethan Barnitz took me to a throwing session with Zach Baldwin and after that Zach asked me to play travel ball with them. I didn’t know anything about it, but since then I’ve been everywhere. We started going to big campuses for tournaments and began to get looks.”

Improved speed on his fastball aided the cause for the 12th-ranked 2023 right-handed pitcher in Ohio.

“Zach helped so much,” the Meigs High School junior noted.” I brought my velocity up seven miles an hour.”

An invitation to the Future Games ignited the recruiting process for the 6-1 205-pounder and by late fall Stewart was a Division I college commit with Ohio University.

“The first time they saw me was when I pitched two innings for Team Ohio in Georgia,” Stewart related. “My fastball was up to 89 and they started to reach out three days after that. I also had other colleges reach out, but they didn’t seem like family like Ohio U.

“I went to campus and took a tour and they gave me an offer maybe 15 days later,” added Stewart, who lives less than a half hour from the university in Athens. “Probably two months after that I accepted. One of the reasons I accepted was the education. I also liked that two other kids on Team Ohio were going there.”

Penn State was in the final two schools being considered by Stewart, who also visited Coastal Carolina in addition to the Big 10 school in Pennsylvania.

“I loved Penn State but OU offered me way more,” Stewart noted. “I also liked that OU called and texted me almost every day.”

Coaches at the Mid-American Conference school saw a big upside in the 32nd-ranked junior in Ohio.

“They like that I’m a big-bodied guy that will be able to throw hard in the future,” Stewart pointed out. “They also like that my curve ball is good and my spin rate is really high.”

His family likes the idea of Stewart staying close to home.

“They all wanted me to go to OU,” Stewart said. “Six hours away (Penn State) is a long way and I have a little sister, so this helps my mom with everything. I love being close so my family can come watch me.”

Letting his family know his intended plans was also a special moment.

“I had a talk on the phone outside with Mitch Mormann (OU recruiting coordinator and pitching coach) and said I wanted to be a Bobcat,” Stewart said. “When I went back inside and told everyone it was a feeling I can’t describe.”

Pitching at the Future Games was also indescribable for the hard-throwing right-hander.

“It was very nerve-racking,” Stewart admitted about the premier PBR event of the summer. “I was so nervous. When I got out to the mound I just tried to keep calm and do what I do and everything worked out.”

Future plans are to become a physical therapist, but the 3.5 GPA student at Meigs High School has a lot of baseball ahead prior to fulfilling those dreams.

“I just want to get in there and try to show what I can do,” the 17-year-old said of what he hopes to provide the OU program. “They said I’ll probably be a starter at some point and that early on I’ll be in relief.

“I hope to be able to bring them leadership as well. I’m someone who never gets down on himself, always smiling and always having fun.”

But when Covid hit back in early 2020, Stewart had to adjust.

“I started working out a lot,” Stewart related. “Everyone was quarantined so there was nothing to do. That brought my body mass up a bunch. My arm got stronger and that brought my velocity way up.”

Now Stewart looks forward to a baseball future in college after his final two years of high school.

“I’ve always dreamed of being a Division I baseball player and I reached my goal to be committed to a D-I school,” Stewart said. “I used to go to OU to watch games with my mom and dad and always thought that would be so cool to do. To be able to do it means so much to me.

“I’m just looking forward to the whole experience, getting my education and meeting new people,” Stewart added. “It’s going to be super cool to go and play on Friday nights and be a Division I college athlete.”