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J.R. and Amy Anderson have watched their son, Ethan, thrive this season as a sophomore on Virginia’s baseball team.
He has started in all 48 games for the Cavaliers, who are No. 14 in the Baseball America rankings and No. 21 in D1Baseball.com.
Anderson, a Cox High graduate, is ranked in the top five in all of the Cavaliers’ offensive categories, including first in doubles (22), third in average (.388), hits (76) and on-base percentage and fourth in runs (48), home runs (7) and slugging percentage (.607).
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But what brings J.R. and Amy even more joy is seeing what their son is doing off the field with his name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities.
Earlier this school year, Ethan made an appearance at the Boys & Girls Club in Charlottesville and received $2,000. He and his father were sitting in the car when J.R. asked Ethan what he was going to do with his check.
“He kind of sat back and said, ‘I’ll probably just give it to the foundation,’” J.R. remembers his son telling him. “He was like, ‘They’ve helped us, so I’ll just give it to them.’”
Ethan was referring to the Navy SEAL Foundation, which provides critical support for the warriors, veterans and families of Naval Special Warfare.
“He gave 100% of it,” said J.R., who retired after 27 years as a Navy SEAL. “And while he’s in college, it will be 100% of his proceeds that he’s pledged to donate to the foundation.”
Ethan, 19, explained his reasoning.
“The Navy SEAL Foundation has been a big part of my life growing up from supporting me in school or camps in the summer,” he said. “And it’s how I look at people who served.”
His parents were shocked, but not surprised by their son’s generosity.
“He loves giving back. He’s a very giving person,” Amy said. “We’re just so proud watching and seeing the player and the man that he’s becoming. It’s not just baseball. There’s a lot of maturity and life skills that he’s learning.”
J.R. remembers how the Navy SEAL Foundation helped Ethan and his daughter, Emma, now a student at James Madison.
“One of things Ethan experienced is, I’d be deployed and they would have functions for the wives and find babysitters. They’d send my kids to summer camps,” he said. “He grew up remembering this. That was all provided by the foundation so the kids could get through the deployments a little easier.”
Ethan reached out to the foundation and also partnered with Born Primitive clothing and Kill Cliff energy drink to offer discounts for orders through his Instagram account.
“Any money that he makes for their products or clicking on their links, he’ll donate,” J.R. said. “Now, we’re not talking millions, but it’s something. And we’re hoping it inspires others. There are guys still out there serving and deploying. The wives are still at home with the kids. So every donation helps. And for these companies to be willing to associate their very successful brands with a college kid, that means a ton to us.”
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Ethan is thankful to be in this position.
At Cox High, Anderson — who graduated in three years — was a two-time All-Tidewater selection who helped lead the Falcons to the Class 5 state title. Perfect Game rated him the No. 1 catcher and No. 4 overall player in the state.
That summer, he played for the Lake Monsters in Vermont in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League. He was named the team MVP after he hit .427 with 32 RBIs, eight doubles and five home runs.
“That summer, especially high school going into college, you don’t really know how good you are,” he said. “You may have been good on the high school level, but you don’t know what the competition level in college is going to be like.”
Having a good summer gave him confidence as he headed for Virginia that fall.
“The attention I got from guys on the team was that they knew I could play,” he said. “It gave me a lot of confidence because if you’re not confident, you’re going to struggle.”
As a UVA freshman, he started 41 of 50 games and played first base or was a designated hitter. He hit .302 with 39 RBIs, 12 doubles, five homers and two triples.
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He carried that momentum into this season after landing at No. 34 among D1Baseball’s Preseason Top 50 first basemen.
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He’s had another productive season for the Cavaliers (37-11), including falling one hit shy of matching a UVA single-game record when he had five hits — three doubles and two homers (one from each side of the plate) in a win over VCU.
Anderson has gotten advice from former Virginia and Cox star Chris Taylor, who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“He’s been a constant role model to me,” Anderson said. “Being able to connect with a big leaguer and pick his brain about his path has been amazing.”
Anderson’s hope is to follow Taylor into pro baseball.
“I play in one of the best baseball conferences,” he said. “Being able to help my team compete in this conference gives me hope that there may be baseball in my future.”
Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com Follow @LHRubama on Twitter.