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Born: Overland Park, Kansas
Age: 22 (2/15/97)
Height/Weight: 6’0”/190 lbs.
Position: 2B
Bats/Throws: R/R
School: Wichita State University (Wichita, Kansas)
Luke Ritter was a multisport star at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Missouri. He lettered three times in football and twice in baseball. As a junior, he earned All-District honors with a .377 average, and as a senior, won All-State and All-District honors with a .473 batting average. He honored his commitment to Wichita State, and in his freshman year hit .272/.372/.373 in 43 games, 28 at second base, 10 in left field, three at third base and two as the Shockers’ DH. He experienced something of a sophomore slump in 2017, hitting .223/.348/.349 in 55 games. He regrouped that summer, playing for the Santa Barbara Foresters of the California Collegiate League and hitting .353/.443/.500 in 37 games.
Returning to Wichita State for the 2018 season, Ritter took his gains with him. He appeared in 55 games and hit a career-best .341/.420/.484, hitting six home runs and stealing six bases. His performance led to the Minnesota Twins drafting him with their 37th round pick, the 1114th overall pick, but the utilityman elected to return to Wichita for his senior season instead of signing with them. He earned All-Conference honors in 2019, hitting .336/.458/.555 in all 59 games the Shockers played. His nine home runs and twelve stolen bases were career bests.
At the plate, Ritter has a balanced stance, with a small stride. He is quick to the ball with a short swing, driving line drives around the field. At 6’, 190-pounds, Ritter has a bit of home run power to his pull side, but how much more power he may develop is dependent on how much, if at all, his body continues to mature. He has a good understanding of the strike zone, taking walks and not striking out much. Indeed, for his entire collegiate career at Wichita, Ritter has nearly a 1:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His speed is below-average, but he has good instincts on the base paths, allowing him to take extra bases on hits and to steal the occasional base.
Defensively, Ritter was used as a utility man for most of his career. Over the course of his four years at Wichita State, he spent time at second base, third base, shortstop, and left field. He profiles best at second base, as his arm strength grades out as average.