Pitt baseball landed Fairleigh Dickinson transfer in first baseman Luke Cantwell, as he announced his commitment on Twitter.
Cantwell hails from Warrington, Pa. and played for Archbishop Wood High School, north of Philadelphia. CantwellĀ played two seasons for the Knights, making 88 appearances and starting 78 games. He had 77 hits in 257 at-bats for a .300 batting average, hit 17 doubles, 20 home runs, 71 RBIs and drew 55 walks.
He had a fantastic sophomore season in 2023, where he had 50 hits, 13 doubles, 14 home runs, 51 RBIs, 32 walks and a .331 batting average. He also starred with his glove, making 264 putouts, 17 assists and only two errors for a .993 fielding percentage.
Cantwell’s 14 home runs led Fairleigh Dickinson and finished second in the Northeast Conference. He also had a .490 on-base percentage that led the NEC, while his .734 slugging and his 1.234 OPS also finished top two in the conference. Cantwell earned First-Team All-NEC honors for his play in 2022.
Pitt had seniors in Noah Martinez playing at first base last season and Jack Anderson featuring at designated hitter last season. Both players hit around .300 last season, so it will be interesting to see how Cantwell fits into next season’s plans for head coach Mike Bell.
