In 2020, Ethan Wood was the fourth-ranked high school baseball player in Kentucky with a low 90s fastball. Born and raised in Lebanon, the six-foot-seven right-handed pitcher committed to the University of Louisville, though he hoped to get drafted before college. Going into his freshman year, Wood said he and all the other freshmen at Louisville gathered to watch the draft during study hall over the summer.
“My name didn’t pop up, and I panicked,” said Wood.
Eager to get drafted as soon as possible, if Wood continued playing at Louisville, he would have been forced to wait until his junior year to be eligible for the draft again. Instead of waiting three more years, Wood decided to go the junior college route so he could be draftable the following year. He took his pitching talent to Central Arizona College.
In the fall of his first year at Central, Wood said he was plagued with an injury in his throwing elbow. His low 90s fastball turned into a mid to high 80s fastball, and he said the pain after throwing was so bad he couldn’t even open his car door. After receiving x-rays, he learned his elbow had a stress fracture, and it had actually been fractured for the last few years.
Still dying to play pro ball, Wood took the year off and rehabbed in Arizona so he could be healthy the following season. During the fall of his second year at Central, he met his girlfriend, Savannah Slater, who had a toddler named Noah.
Wood said in the middle of fall, he and Slater were riding in an Uber together when their driver dropped them off at a random house that wasn’t part of their destination. As they sat on the curb in the Arizona heat waiting for their next Uber, Slater gave Wood news that would change his life forever.
“She said, ‘Well, while we’re already not having a great day, I’ve got something to tell you,’ and I was like, oh no, because the way she said it, I knew,” said Wood.
Slater told Wood she had taken two pregnancy tests, and both came back positive.
“I was just blown away,” Wood said. “I wasn’t mad or anything. I just remember looking up at the Arizona blue sky, and at the time I hadn’t come to God yet. But I looked up at the sky and started talking to God. Just help me. Whatever happens, just let it happen, and let it be for the best.”
Though he had just learned that he was going to be a dad, Wood continued to play fall ball for Central, but was struck with another major injury. When his team traveled to Tucson for a game, Wood said there was a tornado that forced everyone to take shelter at a nearby middle school. As soon as the tornado let up, Wood was thrown on the mound to pitch. After striking out the first two hitters he faced, and tallying two quick strikes to the third hitter, the next pitch he threw was the kicker.
“I threw him a slider and I just felt my elbow pop,” said Wood. “It felt like a bust in my forearm, but it was strike three, so I didn’t get to throw a pitch until the next inning.”
Wood went into the dugout following the pop and consulted with the trainer. He said he didn’t feel any pain, and assumed it was nothing serious. When he returned to the mound the following inning, Wood said his first pitch was around 50 miles an hour and almost rolled into the dugout. He tried to throw another pitch, but said he knew his arm was toast. He had torn his UCL and required Tommy-John surgery.
After his injury, Wood returned home to Kentucky where he was hit with bad news. His grandmother, Debby Edwards, who he called Nana, was diagnosed with terminal cancer. By the grace of God, she was able to hold Wood’s newborn son, River, before her passing.
River was born in January of 2023, and Wood said when he was born, he could hold him in one hand.
“It was amazing for sure, but at the same time, he was so little. It made me so nervous,” Wood said.
The reason he was so nervous was because of what happened after Wood’s first year at Central. His college had won the Junior College World Series despite Wood being injured, and everyone on the team was given championship rings. When Wood received his ring, he said his arm had a spasm, and he wound up accidentally throwing it across the concrete floor and chipping it. He was so nervous holding River because he didn’t want to have an accidental spasm again. After about two weeks, though, Wood said he overcame the nervousness and was able to hold his son with no fear.
Three months after his son was born, Wood and Slater got married. Unfortunately, in August of the same year, Wood’s Nana lost her battle with cancer. Losing his Nana hit Wood hard, as she was one of his biggest motivators and inspirations for playing baseball.
“She was my agent, my best friend, and my Nana,” Wood said. “She would contact scouts and tell me I had a phone call with so-and-so. I don’t know why, but she really felt that I was going to get drafted to Pittsburgh. She would always be talking to Pirates scouts and having them reach out to me. She was a very persistent person. Whatever she needed done, she would get it done.”
Before her passing, Wood said his Nana was trying her best to raise him Christian and to love God. However, Wood said he was a very scientifically minded person, and simply believed what the smart people believed. Though he never told his Nana that he wasn’t religious, Wood said it seemed like she already knew, and it drove her to connect him with Christ.
Not long after Wood had returned home, his Nana took him to Open Arms Church. The first time they went together, he said he only went to support her and pray. When they returned for the second time, Wood said he felt something different.
“I don’t know what it was,” said Wood. “I just knew no matter where we go when we die, I want to go to the same place as Nana. She was a pretty smart lady, and as she was getting ready to die, this was her goal. I felt I should at least try.”
From there, Wood said his relationship with Christ grew immensely, and he found himself praying and worshipping the Lord often.
“God helped me tremendously through her passing, because I didn’t know what I was going to do,” Wood said. “If you don’t want God to exist, it’s gonna be hard to see Him in your life. But whenever you ask Him to come into your life, I don’t care who you are, He will show himself.”
2023 had a lot in store for Wood, now a married man and proud father of two boys. The year wasn’t over for him, though, as he was called back to baseball. While he was still rehabbing from Tommy-John surgery, Wood committed to play baseball for Campbellsville University.
With a family of four to support, Wood knew he had his work cut out for him if he wanted to return to baseball. On top of school, baseball and his family, he picked up a job working as a cleaner for The Cleaning Company, owned by his grandfather who currently lives with him. Wood said he would also pick up jobs on his off days, working for his mother’s cleaning company, Execuclean.
“I like cleaning. I see it as time to think,” said Wood. “Right now, with baseball, I’m working Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Sadly, it’s every day that we lift.”
Luckily for Wood, The Cleaning Company didn’t have a set schedule, and he just had to make sure his job was done before closing time. He said on a typical workday, he wakes up at 7 a.m. to knock out his cleaning duties before his classes. With three classes to attend after work, Wood said he tries to make it home at some point between classes to see his family before returning for baseball practice around 2-3 p.m.
“I wouldn’t say working is a main struggle right now,” said Wood. “That being said, keeping money in the pocket is a struggle, but I can’t really work more and play ball.”
As Wood’s dedication to all the things of his life might have seemed baffling to some, he noted a piece of hard truth that a middle school teacher gave him.
“I remember he got in my face one day and told me that I had no perseverance,” Wood said, “He told me that if I ever wanted to make it big in baseball, I was going to have to learn how to persevere. Sometimes you have to know when to hang ‘em up, but sometimes you have to keep trucking.”
Wood made sure to acknowledge how big the risk was for CU’s Head Baseball Coach Beauford Sanders to take him in, given all his responsibilities off the field. He also admitted how thankful he was for the opportunity, and said Sanders has been helping him out a lot.
“I’m not a 4.0 student, so as far as him just giving me the opportunity to come and have a chance, that’s good enough for me,” Wood said.
Wood is not the first athlete with a family that Sanders has coached. Sanders said with the platform he’s been given, he uses the opportunity to help his players learn discipline and find purpose.
“Obviously, I gravitate toward trying to help all my players,” Sanders said. “I want to give them more than just baseball, and I made that clear with [Wood] from the beginning… I’ve realized how tough it is for him with two children, he’s a commuter, and he’s trying to get his academics going.”
As Wood did his best to manage the balancing act of life, Sanders said he was more than willing to make accommodations so that he could spend necessary time with his family. Sanders also said he and his wife, Barbara, realized Wood didn’t have a computer to do schoolwork, so they bought one for the team in hopes of helping him out.
“I know he loves his kids, and that drew me even more into his sincerity,” Sanders said. “This guy’s not a dead-beat dad. He interacts with those children and talks about them to me, and I’m just trying to give him encouragement about the importance of balance.”
Wood said he and Sanders talk on the phone often, and Sanders said the talks they’ve had gave him the opportunity to help Wood grow closer with God.
“That’s the kingmaker right there,” said Sanders. “If you go to war, and you have [Jesus] in your life, it’s going to be easier. Perfect? No. How’s it gonna end? I don’t know. But if He’s in charge, you’re gonna be fine.”
Although Wood said he loves it at CU, he acknowledged he struggled not getting to see his family as much as he would like to. He said his oldest son Noah’s enjoyment of baseball was a driving force behind his own love for the game. Wood said if he was working any other job, he would probably call it quits because of how little he gets to see his family.
“I enjoy hanging out with the guys and everything, but sometimes I miss hanging out with my boys,” said Wood. “Our games have been getting in the way of it, because we’ll travel and have 9 a.m. departure times, and we’re gone the whole weekend.”
One of Wood’s teammates, Garrett Maloney, commended him for his dedication and persistence.
“I seriously don’t know how he does it,” Maloney said. “He’s got all that stuff going on in his life and he’s still trying to pass classes. I couldn’t imagine trying to balance all of that.”
With all the things filling up Wood’s plate, he pointed to God as one of his main assets in managing his life.
“God answers almost any prayer that you pray to him,” Wood said. “It might not be in the way that you expect it, but if you’re conscious of what’s going on in your life, you can see that God is obviously here.”
After over two years since his last college appearance, Wood’s recovery process was completed. He took the mound for the Tigers for the first time in 2025 with his family in the stands. Wood said he loves knowing Noah is up in the stands locked into the game when he comes into pitch.
However, as a lifelong baseball player, Wood noted another struggle he faced was with failure, especially in front of his boys.
“It sucks being a dad and failing,” Wood said. “That night where I got pulled, my kids saw that. It’s weird because I used to not feel like I had anybody to impress, but having the boys, it’s a little bit of pressure sometimes.”
No matter how good or bad Wood’s outings are, he said it’s a big help knowing his family is always going to be there for him at the end of the day. He said it used to feel like his life depended on it anytime he took the mound, but God and his family helped him realize there are bigger things to life than baseball.
“There’s been a lot of proof in my life for God,” Wood said. “That’s one of the biggest reasons I’m thankful for my Nana, because I feel like our whole relationship and everything building up was God’s plan.”
