My name is Luke Knittel. I am the youngest of three kids in my family and I am a sophomore at James Bowie High School in Austin, Texas. I’ve always been a bit of a perfectionist. I remember first learning to cast a fishing pole. I wasn’t great at it so I practiced casting in my front yard for hours, working on dropping my lure in just the right spot. It’s been the same with baseball. When I was 11, playing in a tournament in San Antonio, I made a couple of throwing errors in a row. For the rest of the season (and probably beyond) I made my dad take me to practice an hour early to get extra reps so I could make sure that never happened again. All that is to say, I love this game. My dream is to play major league baseball, I have some great, God-given skills, and I have the desire and work ethic to refine and sharpen them. I know this process is a marathon, not a sprint. That’s why I appreciate the “wins” and try to learn from the mistakes, using both to get back to work honing my skills. I believe this is why I’ve enjoyed as much success as I have.

As a position player, I am primarily a shortstop but I excel at second, third, and outfield, too. In the Spring, I play for the Bowie High varsity squad and in the Fall and Summer I play for Phenom CTX. When I’m not playing baseball, I enjoy all kinds of sports – fishing, golf, disc golf, mountain biking, bowling, basketball, and football. I also love cooking, spending time with family, hanging out with friends, and attending my church, The Austin Stone. I have one sister, Kate (18) and a brother, Aiden (17), both of whom are adopted. Kate has high-functioning autism and is an amazing artist, singer, and has a crazy quick wit. Aiden had a rough start in life and is working to overcome the trauma he experienced early on, but he does well in school, runs cross country for Bowie High, and he loves chess, and playing soccer with friends. Growing up in this unique family, with all the opportunities I have been given, has made me more patient, a good listener, appreciative of what I have, and more accepting of others’ strengths and struggles.