Ethan McHenry, a freshman Physical Education major from Clear Lake, Iowa, is a first-baseman and hitter for the Buena Vista University (BVU) men’s baseball team.

McHenry found a passion for playing baseball at a young age. His first memory of playing baseball is playing with his traveling team, the Mason City “Storm” at age eight. From then on, he has continued to grow and learn as a player.

His aspirations to continue playing baseball in college derived from a baseball tournament as a child.

“When I was 14 years old playing in a tournament, I managed to hit a home run. The umpire came up to me after the game and said that the last person to hit a homerun on that field went on to play in Major League Baseball. I thought I had what it took to play at the next level and decided I wanted to play college ball,” McHenry said.

Since coming to BVU, McHenry feels that his team and coaching staff has been key in helping him grow and develop as a college athlete.

“Getting to know the guys and having them boost my confidence both on and off the field, as well as having a great coaching staff to help me work through my kinks and put in work have been important in helping me grow,” McHenry said.

Head Coach, Steve Eddie, says that Ethan’s success at the college level has come from his hard work and dedication.

“Ethan is a great competitor and possesses a lot of composure. He doesn’t change his demeanor when he plays the game; Ethan is the same person 24 hours a day. He really enjoys the game of baseball and being around the other guys on the team,” Eddie said.

McHenry is very glad he chose to come to BVU and has had a lot of fun here so far.

“My favorite memory so far is getting to hit against Dubuque and hitting my first college homerun,” McHenry said.

Just a freshman, McHenry still has a lot of growing to do and goals for himself. This season he hopes to gain a larger role on the team and have a great rest of the year with his team.

“I want to become an everyday player with the confidence to go out there and be the go-to man no matter what the situation,” McHenry said.

For this season, McHenry’s coach also has expectations of his player.

“While I don’t think my goals have anything to do with what his production will be during his career here, I do think he will only get better throughout his career. He is a very good player, and I hope he sets goals for himself to improve as a player each and every day. I want him to enjoy his four years, and to avoid putting any pressure on himself. He has a great mentality, and I enjoy watching him play. He has proven he is a varsity level type of hitter; he just needs to keep learning and working to improve,” Eddie said.