If college baseball teams didn’t know about Valparaiso pitcher Lucas Haas already, he got their attention last summer.
The 6-foot-4, 195-pound right-hander’s measurables — which include a 91 mph fastball with superior spin rate — are hard to ignore.
“I went down to the Future Games last summer before the recruiting window opened,” Haas said. “When it opened Aug. 1, it was very hectic, and I had a bunch of schools calling me. Then it slowed down toward the fall. Over the winter, a few schools stayed in contact, and it picked back up after this last high school season.”
Haas, who went 6-2 with a 2.58 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 46 innings for the Class 4A sectional champion Vikings (23-8) in his junior season, heard from Indiana, Notre Dame and Purdue. But one program consistently stood out.
“I felt like I narrowed it down to Cincinnati after that first visit and kept them in mind over the winter and going into my high school season and summer,” he said.
On July 8, Haas committed to the Bearcats, who have reached the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons under coach Jordan Bischel.
“I felt the coaches would develop me,” Haas said. “As a freshman going in, not many schools will have you playing your first year or be developing you. But I felt like I would be able to make a difference there and help the program out in any way possible.”
Committing before his senior year could pay dividends for Haas, who earned All-Duneland Athletic Conference honors this past season.
“He is going to set his sights even higher,” Valparaiso coach Todd Evans said. “I think he wants to be an all-state type pitcher. I think he wants us to win sectional, regional, semistate and beyond.
“He obviously has some individual goals for himself, and if he achieves those, he’s going to bring the whole team with him. The sky is the limit for Lucas.”
That’s high praise, but Evans said it’s warranted for a player he described as a “bulldog” whose competitive spirit is second to none. Haas agreed that his competitiveness and work ethic are his best assets, even more so than his fastball.
“I’m definitely a hard worker and someone who has a lot of drive to beat out the next guy,” Haas said. “If there’s someone in front of me, know that I’m willing to outwork them, and if Cincinnati puts me on the field, then it’s going to be hard to take me off.
“If you have that mindset of being competitive and strong, you can get anywhere in life.”
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Haas’ father, Ryan, hopes he continues to have that mindset going forward.
“Don’t take your foot off the gas,” Ryan Haas said. “Just because you committed, that doesn’t mean anything. He’s still got a lot to prove. I know he’s got bigger goals outside of college as well, so he’s got to continue working hard and putting himself in the right position to succeed.
“That’s my biggest thing for him — not letting up and making sure he’s challenging himself every step of the way.”
Lucas Haas said his real challenge will be enjoying one last ride with his Valparaiso teammates.
“I definitely want to make a state run again and just appreciate my senior season for what it is with my friends,” he said. “And I want to make sure I have fun while also being competitive.”
Haas is already looking forward to competing at Cincinnati.
“I’m definitely excited to meet the team and the coaches and make better connections with everyone,” he said. “Also winning — I want to focus on that a lot.”
Noah Poser is a freelance reporter.