Ethan Kuntz of Walworth and his good friend Cameron Liedmann of Williamson were scanning Facebook one day when an ad appeared seeking “a bat-retrieval human” to work for the Rochester Red Wings. “Human”, because there is already a bat-retrieving mascot, Spikes. 

Intrigued by the ad for a bat boy, Ethan and Cam called and were told to show up for an interview. “They may have had a lot of responses, but we were the only two who showed up for the interview,” said Ethan. They were in.

Ethan said his first day on the job, April 12th - Home Opener for the  Red Wings - was awesome. Cam agreed. The job involves coming in an hour before a game to set up the dugout - with water, gatorade, sunflower seeds, bubble gum, for the bull pen and dug out, and towels for the bullpen. During the game, both boys retrieve thrown bats on both sides (Ethan usually is on the Visitors side, Cam on the Home side). When working the home side,  they wait during the game for signals  from the umpire for 3 or 4 game balls. He signals when there is a dead ball or a foul.

“They put us in full Red Wings uniform for games,” Ethan mused.

Running on the baseball field is not something new to Ethan or Cameron. Cameron only played three baseball games his season for Williamson, due to” stress and a busy theatre hobby.”  “and...You can quote me on this...I was the best first baseman in the league, when I left”.  This theatre work had him starring as Tarzan in a Rochester Main Street Players theatre group, and he had a lead role in the Williamson musical, “Dirty Rotten Scoundrals”. Cameron’s plans for next year are to study communications to be a baseball announcer, and to play baseball and study theatre at GCC (Genesee Community College).

A senior at Ruben Cirillo High School in Gananda, 18 year old Ethan Kuntz has played varsity baseball for 4 years, as outfielder and designated hitter. 

Ethan’s parents, Kevin and Laurie Kuntz, with his teammates, and his  Gananda coaches, Bill McClaire and Nai Cavenaugh were all on hand at Thursday night’s Baseball Senior Night at Gananda, but another visitor stopped by for a congratulatory salute to Ethan also that night.  “I have a really cool relationship with him, but when Red Wings manager Matt Lacroix said he would stop by my game, I did not believe it. He really came. It was cool.”

Ethan’s plans after high school will take him to Niagara University, where he will study and play Club Baseball for the Purple Eagles.