Baseball: Bandy signs with Dallas Baptist

Luke Bandy (center) of Providence Academy smiles Thursday after signing a letter of intent to play baseball for Dallas Baptist University. Joining Bandy was his summer coach Rusty Passini (left) and Providence Academy head coach Brent McConnell.
Luke Bandy (center) of Providence Academy smiles Thursday after signing a letter of intent to play baseball for Dallas Baptist University. Joining Bandy was his summer coach Rusty Passini (left) and Providence Academy head coach Brent McConnell.

ROGERS -- Luke Bandy signed a national letter of intent to play college baseball at Dallas Baptist University on Thursday

Bandy (6-foot-1, 180 pounds) signed his letter at Providence Academy, where he will play his senior season after transferring from Shiloh Christian. As a junior at Shiloh, Bandy helped the Saints reach the Class 4A state semifinals by batting .375 with 4 triples, 7 doubles, 1 home run as a shortstop.

"DBU was always at the top of my list," said Bandy. "I was in a Dallas tournament with Perfect Game and emailed them and got their coaches to come out and watch me play four games and got offered on campus that weekend."

The Patriots are one of the top Division I baseball programs in the country, ending last season ranked No. 15 after being ranked No. 1 for a time. DBU, located between Dallas and Fort Worth, has upgraded its facilities at Horner Ballpark and will have a brand new all-turf field this spring.

The Patriots also have a host of alumni in the Major Leagues, including Kansas City Royals utility player Ben Zobrist, who helped the team win the World Series.

"They make leaders out of their players," Bandy said of why he chose DBU over other programs such as Arkansas, UCA, Wichita State and Duke to name a few. "I love how the coach really develops players well. A lot of their players are in the major leagues."

Bandy played the past three summers with the Arkansas Rawlings Prospects under coach Rusty Passini, who called Bandy one of the best athletes he's ever coached.

"He makes everything look easy, but it's not easy," Passini said. "He makes it look easy because he's such a hard worker. Luke is a remarkable young man on and off the field, and he makes the other players around him better."

Bandy said he was recruited as a middle infielder but could transition to the outfield.

Passini said the coaches at DBU will find a place for him somewhere.

"Athletically, he has the skills to play in the middle, but he's so fast that I can also see him as a center fielder at the next level," Passini said. "I'm sure they'll find a spot for him because he can swing it."

Sports on 11/13/2015

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