FAYETTEVILLE — The player nicknamed “Country Ohtani,” also known as Ethan Bates, will lead the Louisiana Tech baseball team against Kansas State on Friday night in the NCAA Fayetteville Regional.
Bates, a senior at Hot Springs Lakeside High School, began his collegiate career at the University of Arkansas and has developed into a star player both as a hitter and pitcher.
Bates, who led the Division I with 17 saves and also had 15 home runs, 21 doubles and 74 RBIs as a designated hitter, is nicknamed after Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani.
Considering that Los Angeles' population last year was 3.82 million, while Hot Springs' was 38,109 and Ruston, La., home to Louisiana Tech University, had 22,295, the “Country” part of Bates' nickname seems apt.
“Four-wheelers, that’s what he’s good at,” Louisiana Tech coach Lane Burrows said after the Bulldogs’ practice Thursday. “I can guarantee you he’d be better off in Hot Springs right now working on his four-wheeler than he is here talking to you guys.
“He's just a great young man. He loves to hunt and fish. And obviously he's a really good baseball player.”
Bates, who throws right and bats left, was named Conference USA Player of the Year.
“He's the best two-way player in the country,” Kansas State coach Pete Hughes said, listing Bates' stats. “They got what they paid for him, right?”
Bates said he enjoyed the regional practice at Baum-Walker Stadium on Thursday and is looking forward to playing at Arkansas' home field on Friday night.
“I'm just soaking it all up,” Bates said. “I'm really looking forward to getting back out here and seeing friends and family that I haven't seen in a while.”
“I loved being at Tech. It was the best place for me.”
Bates appeared in 17 games as an outfielder and third baseman for the Razorbacks in 2021, starting eight of them, while batting .250 (9-for-36) with six RBIs.
“Ethan's a great kid,” Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said this week. “He's not a kid anymore. He's a grown man.”
“He's had some difficulties coming here, [the talent] He really wanted to play.”
To get more playing time, Bates transferred to Navarro (Texas) Junior College for his sophomore season. He said he had hoped to attend Louisiana Tech before going to Navarro.
“I played at Tech my freshman year and it was a lot of fun,” Bates said of Arkansas' three-game series in Ruston. “The field was great and the atmosphere was great.”
“Whenever I decided to leave [Arkansas] And then I went to Navarro, that's where I was aiming.”
Burroughs was pleased to add Bates to his team, who batted .324 (56-for-173) with three home runs, four triples, 15 doubles and 34 RBIs in 52 games. Bates also pitched in five games for Navarro, posting a 3.24 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings.
“We didn’t know the pitch,” Burrows said. “We just knew he could hit it.
“Coach Navarro called me and said, 'Why don't you come and watch him on the mound? I think he can throw a little bit.'”
“We sent him out there in the fall. [of 2022]and he started cutting us up, and we thought, “Hey, maybe we can come up with something cool.” It was kind of by accident.
“It was a good pitch. Good velocity, great control. Good slider, good changeup.”
Bates batted .281 with 15 home runs, 35 RBI, six saves and a 3.16 ERA as a junior and has taken his hitting to the next level this season.
“He is [batter’s] “He always thrives in tight spots. You always expect something good to happen,” Louisiana Tech right fielder Dalton Davis said. “He's been through a lot of tight spots. He always finds a way.”
Bates has pitched 43 2/3 innings in 35 games this season.
“I’ve been doing this at this level for 28 years and I’ve never coached a kid who wanted to play baseball. [more] “That's what he wants in the most stressful situations,” Burrows said. “He wants high impact. He wants to be the guy that's up at bat when the game is going to go.”
“We've pressed him pretty hard this year. 17 saves is unheard of in college baseball, but he takes the ball well. He's never said no to anything we asked of him. He's a team-first guy.”
Louisiana Tech (45-17) won its last six Conference USA games, sweeping Western Kentucky and Liberty, to win the regular-season title with an 18-6 record, one game behind Dallas Baptist (17-7).
The Bulldogs began their final rally when Bates hit a three-run homer off a 3-2 pitch in the bottom of the ninth against Western Kentucky senior Mason Barnes (second nationally with 15 saves) to lead Louisiana Tech to a 9-7 victory.
Burrows smiled Thursday as he recalled Bates' heroism.
“I don't think it could be portrayed any better,” Burrows said. “He's going up against the guy who's tied for first in the country in saves. They've been fighting all year for who's going to be first in the country in saves. Ethan hit him with a three-run homer and got the walk-off win.
“That's just the kind of guy he is. He has that 'it' factor. I know it's a coach thing and a cliché, but that's the kind of guy he is.”
“The thing about Ethan is he's super competitive.”
Van Horn said Arkansas coaches have discussed the possibility of Bates playing as a pitcher.
“To be honest with you, it wasn't his first love,” Van Horn said, “and that's true for a lot of kids.”
“We knew Ethan had a great arm and power as a left-handed hitter, but when he came to Tech it all came on display.”
“Being an older player and with a lot of confidence, he's been doing great.”
