Little if anything fazes Mesa Mountain View shortstop-pitcher Willie Ethington.

Not getting too excited in 2009 as a freshman getting called up to the varsity -- a rarity in Mesa and at Mountain View. Not being rated as the 75th high school prospect in the country by Baseball America.  Ethington goes about the business of baseball as not business. He's about as relaxed as they come.

"I go out and play hard, but it's fun," Ethington said. "There's a little bit of pressure with all the attention, but I think I'm able to block it out and concentrate on playing."

Good thing. Mountain View opened its season with Hamilton on Feb. 24 in the Desert Vista Invitational. Not your ordinary opener given the onlookers. Scouts were everywhere. Hamilton third baseman Mitch Nay (55th in the high school prospects numbers by Baseball America) and Ethington in the same game . Both could be teammates this fall since they signed in November with ASU if the pros don't sway them.

So what did Ethington do? Well, he had fun. After warming up for the season opener with two home runs a week earlier in Mountain View's scrimmage against Horizon, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound senior went 3-for-3 vs. Hamilton with a single, double and home run. The home run began a comeback from a three-run deficit that ultimately resulted in a 5-4 win for the Toros. Ethington pitched a scoreless inning of relief and was the winning pitcher.

Mountain View baseball coach Mike Thiel has coached at the school since 1997. It didn't take him but a few seconds to assess the ability Ethington has vs. all the players he's seen at the school in his tenure.

"He's the best all-around player I've coached here," Thiel said. "Hitting or pitching there have been similar players. But the combination of pitching, hitting and defense at short, he's outstanding at all of them."

Ethington has played witht the varsity all but the first half of his freshman year. The Toros brought him up to pitch in a spring break tournament in 2009. They liked what they saw that first time out.

What put Ethington over the top was an outing he had later in the season with Mountain View fighting for a playoff berth. Hamilton coach Mike Woods remembers that game because his team was in a horrendous slump and because he had never seen Ethington.

"I asked Mike who is this guy," Woods said. "He had a lot of tilt on his pitches. We play Mountain View a lot in the summer and fall. Mike told me he's a freshman. I knew then we'd be seeing him the next three years."

Mountain View ended up winning that game, due in part to Ethington stepping up in a critical spot and earning a save.

"It was a tight game," Thiel said. "He handled it well. If he could give us the stuff he showed in that game, we figured he could handle anything."

'Anything' did come up. The Toros had to use much of its pitching the final week of the 2009 season to solidify their playoff standing. Not wanting to overtax other pitchers on short rest, they tabbed Ethington for their playoff opener with Red Mountain.

"I showed up that day planning to watch the game," Ethington recalled. "They told me that morning when I got to the field I was going to start. It was unexpected. I gave it all I had."

Mountain View lost the game, 3-2. An inside-the-park home run on a ball lost in the outfield ivy at Mountain View and a late RBI single were the difference. Ethington did not get a decison in the game. The Toros had all the proof they needed to realize they had something special in Ethington for the forseeable future.

"He always wants to do well," Thiel said. "But baseball is a fun thing for him. To play in front of a lot of scouts is just fun. He has the perfect attitude to have as a player. He enjoys the game."

Ethington isn't quite as hot as he was the first week of the season, but owns a .381 average with three homers and seven RBI in seven games. Five of his eight hits are for extra bases for the 5-2 Toros. He entered the season a career .430 hitter and has led Mountain View in most offensive categories the last two seasons.

He's pitched in three games this season, throwing an inning in each appearance. His fastball has been clocked between 89-92 and he's shown good command in bouncing back from some shoulder soreness. Mountain View plans on giving Ethington his first start either Thursday or Friday this week. Getting a start figures to ramp up his intensity.

"I like playing short, I like pitching and I like hitting," Ethington said. "Can't say It's on or the other. If  I'm in a slump, I like pitching more. If my command is off,  I love hitting. I like everything about the game. The game is the most fun when it's all going well."