What would you expect from a skilled baseball player who spent a lot of time at linebacker?
A guy with power? And a guy who could take a fastball in the ribs with a smile?
In two seasons at Fairleigh Dickinson, first baseman Luke Cantwell – a former Archbishop Wood linebacker who recently announced his transfer to Pitt for the 2024 season – thumped many balls over the fence … and has been thumped plenty.
“I loved how football taught you the mental things in life: how you get knocked down many times and have to get up. Every pitch in every at-bat is like a new play in football,” shared Cantwell, who hit 14 homers and was plunked 18 times this spring. “You go until the whistle blows. If the pitcher makes a mistake that will hit you, I’ve been ingrained to get hit and get on first base.
“It was awesome to have a football mindset into my baseball career and I’ve used that to my advantage. It’s not easy,” he continued. “But I was taught that if you can show your team that you will go through a brick wall for them, it will be contagious.”
This spring, Cantwell led FDU in homers and with 28 extra-base hits. He was second in the NEC in slugging percentage (.709) and on base percentage (.490).
As much as he loved football Warrington’s Cantwell knew his bread would be buttered in baseball.
Cantwell played CYO football for the Bux-Mont Saints under Dave Armstrong Sr. and Jr. “They were two of the most influential people in my whole athletic career,” Cantwell recalled. “They ingrained mental toughness, physical toughness and no matter what, showing respect to your opponents, teammates and coaches. Those two coaches were great for me in fourth to eighth grade, when you’re starting to grow up a little bit.”
Last season, Cantwell started 30 of FDU’s 54 games. He hit six homers in 143 plate appearances and got on base at a .441 clip.
As a sophomore, Cantwell’s power and propensity to get on base only got better. But the biggest surge was in his batting average, which jumped to .331.
“He creates his own energy and when he is up there, you know something is going to happen,” shared FDU head coach Manny Roman. “He is either going to connect and hit something hard, he is going to get on base by working a tough at-bat or he is not going to get out of the way and wear one for the team. He wants to run through a wall for his team. It’s a little of that football mentality. It’s fun to watch when everything is going right for him.
“As a baseball player, you need to be OK with failure. Sometimes, the opposing pitchers make good pitches and fielders make good plays,” Cantwell admitted. “You have to be mentally strong with that aspect. Coming into my sophomore year, I wanted to prove to people who told me that I couldn’t. I wanted to take my freshman year and do better. Being coached by Coach Manny and Coach Ethan Newton, they’ve given me the opportunity to show that and I’m grateful for those two.”
As a freshman, he was Conference Player of the Week on March 29 and had a 22-game on base streak. This season, Cantwell earned Conference Player of the Week on March 21 after a series against Wagner where he homered more times than he struck out. During FDU’s nine-game win streak in late March into early April, Cantwell drove in 10 and reached base 22 times.
He will always remember St. Patrick’s Day. Cantwell hit three homers and drove in six. Unfortunately for Cantwell, FDU dropped an NEC game to Wagner, 13-11 in extra innings.
Fortunately for Cantwell, it was still a great day to be a Knight. That evening, No. 16 FDU’s basketball team shocked No. 1 Purdue 63-58 in the NCAA Tournament.
“The basketball game was beyond belief,” he continued. “It was awesome to see FDU as a whole get more recognition than they ever had.”
FDU (31-21-1) baseball is not a one-man band. After years of being an also-ran, the program set new highs in wins this year and earned a berth in the NEC Tournament.
“After we lost to Wagner in a shootout, it’s ‘How do you respond’ and sometimes you don’t have the willpower to come back after your heart has been broken,” Cantwell reminded. But FDU took the March 18 game 7-6, a game last year’s club might not have won.
“Every guy – 1 to 38 – knows their role on the team,” he added.
FDU “doesn’t take anything for granted,” Roman credited. “They have pride in everything they do.” Roman also feels that getting into the conference tournament last season gave the team confidence.
“They felt ‘We can do this’ and it has carried in to this year,” Roman continued. “From the fall when they came back, they were on a mission. Some of the older guys were taking the younger guys under their wing and showing them the way. They believe they can beat anybody on any given day and they play hard from the first pitch until the last out.”
Cantwell is up to his old tricks for the Vermont Mountaineers in the New England Collegiate Baseball League this summer. In his first 13 games, Cantwell was among league leaders in RBIs … and hits by pitch.
It is a safe bet that the Cantwell family will be making treks up to Montpelier. “I was raised by two great parents and I have two siblings who have been in my corner my whole life,” Cantwell said. “My family placed a great perspective of life in sports with me. I’m truly grateful that I’m following the dreams I had as a little kid to play Division I baseball.”
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