Just over two weeks ago, Xavier baseball player Luke Lappe committed to the University of North Alabama, a Division 1 school in the Atlantic Sun Conference. As a sophomore on varsity last season, Luke hit Xavier’s only home run and led the team in RBIs. He also garnered SCC All-Quinnipiac honors. As a captain, Luke is primed to have a huge junior year for X. Here’s what Luke has to say about his commitment and more. 

What position or positions do you play on the diamond?

I am a corner guy (first and third base) and then I also go out and play some corner outfield once in a while (right and left field). Just whatever I can do to help the team. 

Throughout your Xavier career, have you played any other sports?

Yes, I played for the varsity hockey for my freshman and sophomore years. 

How has your baseball experience at Xavier helped you become a better ballplayer and person?

The baseball team at Xavier really promotes an atmosphere of brotherhood and looking out for your teammates. The aspect of being a good teammate and being a better leader has definitely helped me on and off the field, overall just being a better person. 

What led you to choose the University of North Alabama?

Going down there last week, the coaches were really welcoming. You had the vibe of they really wanted me to be there. Even the players I had the chance to hang out with were really nice guys. And then just the school overall is one of the best business schools in the state of Alabama, and just having the opportunity to go down south and play ball is a dream come true for me.

Did you have any other schools in mind or was it always UNA? 

There were a couple schools up north that I was interested in pursuing, but once I got the call from UNA, that took priority and definitely was the best opportunity that I had. 

What pushed you to commit so early?

When I was down there and I was walking around, I stopped at one point and pretty much said even if I wasn’t playing baseball, I wish I could just go to school here. This really set off something in my mind. Baseball doesn’t last forever and the college I should go to is really important. If that’s something that you feel, that if baseball was taken out of the equation and you could just go there for college, then that’s the situation that you want to be in. That’s the feeling that I got when I went down there, so I felt that there was no point in waiting around when I knew that this was what I wanted to do. 

What are you excited for this season?

I am super excited for this season for many reasons, but one of the big reasons is that we have a lot of our lineup returning. We have a really powerful batting core with the 2-3-4 guys coming back and a lot of solid guys coming up. We should have a really good lineup and our pitching is developing. I feel like we have a chance to do something really special this season.   

So, it is bound to be an exciting season for Xavier baseball, as Luke and the rest of this talented squad will make a run at the state championship. Tune in next spring.