It should be.
The last six years as a Double-A school the Wildcats have maintained many of their series with 3A schools such as Cabell Midland, Hurricane and Nitro.
And with plenty of starters, key players and a whole crop of talented freshmen and sophomores, Logan hopes it won’t miss a beat in its transition year back to West Virginia’s highest classification.
Logan, 27-9 last season, left the Class AA ranks last year in style, beating Point Pleasant 13-3 for the Double-A state championship at Charleston’s Appalachian Power Park. It was Logan’s second 2A state title during the decade with the other coming in 2005.
The Wildcats have won four state championships in the 2000s decade, also taking 3A state crowns in 2000 and 2001.
Logan veteran head coach Roger Gertz said he’s excited about this year’s team and the upcoming season.
“We’re returning a lot of key players but we also lost three key players — J.R. Blevins, Thomas Adkins and Josh Motto,” said Gertz, who has coached the Logan baseball team to five state titles with the other coming back in 1994. “They are going to be hard to replace. They all had arm troubles last year so we had to throw a lot of young kids.”
Going back to the Class AAA level shouldn’t be that much of a difference to the Wildcats.
“We’ve played a lot of Triple-A teams in the past,” Gertz said. “Since we were Double-A we continued to play Cabell Midland twice, Hurricane twice and Nitro twice. I think Nitro was the best program in the state last year, obviously. They just lost a couple of kids, so they are going to be good for the next few years.”
Nitro, coached by Chapmanville High School graduate Steve Pritchard, are the defending 3A state champs.
Many are hoping Nitro and Logan will meet in the state tournament this June. Logan and Nitro played twice last season and split.
Gertz isn’t looking that far ahead, however.
Logan’s new Class AAA sectional with George Washington and South Charleston will be tough enough.
“I just hope that we get out of our section,” Gertz said. “I don’t know a whole lot about South Charleston but I’ve heard that they’ve got two real good pitchers. They’ve always had a good baseball program there. GW made it to the state tournament last year. I understand one of their players that they have coming back this year is a really good player. It will be a difficult sectional, like it was when we were in there with Chapmanville.”
Logan heads into the season having won nine straight sectional championships — the last six in the Double-A ranks.
From 2000-02, the Wildcats were 3A sectional champions as Logan battled then against GW, South Charleston and St. Albans at different points.
The Wildcats are led by senior pitcher/shortstop Jordan Butcher. Butcher was 5-0 on the mound last season with a 2.44 ERA. The right-hander struck out 41 batters in 37 innings and walked only nine. At the plate, the all-state pitcher hit .310 with two homers and 18 RBI. He also had five doubles. On the mound, Butcher will most likely be Logan’s No. 1 starter.
“Jordan did a great job for us last year,” Gertz said. “He’s had some arm problems at this point this spring. He’s coming on slow, but of course, we got the basketball players a little earlier this year than we normally do. When we started he threw some but he hurt his arm. I don’t know how he did it. It might have happened during basketball season. His shoulder has been a little bit inflamed. Hopefully, in the next two or three weeks his arm will develop into being strong again.”
Logan also has three more pitchers who saw a lot of time on the mound last year – Todd Fleming, David Brown and Ronnie Abbott.
“Todd Fleming pitched a lot of good baseball for us,” Gertz said. “David Brown and Ronnie Abbott also did great jobs. Along with Jordan Butcher, we’ve got four guys who pitched a lot for us.”
Fleming, a junior left-hander, was 4-1 with one save and a 2.17 ERA on the mound last season for the Cats. He tossed 32 innings, striking out 35 and walking 22.
“Todd did a heck of a job for us last year,” Gertz said. “He took some losses but he really did a good job.”
Abbott, a senior right-handed side-armed pitcher, was 3-0 with one save and a 1.05 ERA last season. He saw 27 innings of work, striking out 31 and issuing only eight walks.
“We used him a lot in relief spots last year,” Gertz said of Abbott. “He would come in for an inning or two and give you a different look. He was very very effective and did a great job. We’re expecting him to do the same thing this year.”
Brown, a sophomore right-hander, saw significant playing time last season as a freshman. Last year, Brown was 2-0 with a 1.19 ERA and one save. Brown, also the quarterback for the Logan football team, pitched in 18 innings last season, fanning 21 and walking just six. He allowed only three earned runs all season.
“David pitched a lot last year but he’s had some arm problems,” Gertz said. “We were working on sliding one day and they wanted to go head first and he jammed his shoulder a little bit. He hasn’t thrown in the last few days but Thursday he did. David’s got a real strong arm and before the year is over he’s going to be a big factor in our pitching staff.”
Junior Corey Lakatos, a tall 6-foot-4 right-hander, also figures into Logan’s pitching staff plans. He threw one inning of varsity ball last season for the Wildcats.
“We’ve got a junior, Corey Lakotos, who is a big kid and goes about 6-4 and 220,” Gertz said. “He’s been throwing well. We hope that we can get a lot out of him and he can get some experience this year.”
Senior right-hander Corey Hooker is also pressing for mound time. Last year, Hooker saw some varsity action as he was 1-2 with a 0.78 ERA. Hooker threw nine innings and struck out five batters.
“Corey Hooker is also a good pitcher for us,” Gertz said. “He’s a senior and pitched a little bit for us last year and pitched some JV ball. He’s much stronger and he’ll get some innings for us.”
Freshmen pitchers Alex Mareske, Justin Oney and Matthew Greene may be a year away from contributing to the varsity team.
“We’ve got a couple of young kids with one of them being Alex Mareske,” Gertz said. “I don’t know how much a freshman will be able to help us this year. They might be more JV pitchers where they have to learn but Alex is definitely going to be a good player. Alex did a nice job for the middle school team last season. He’s a good athlete. In time he’s going to be a good one. Justin Oney is another ninth-grade pitcher for us and we’ve got another in Matthew Greene, a left-hander. He’s a good pitcher. All three of them could be good pitchers. These three will be the future as they continue to grow.”
Behind the plate, Logan has a good one as senior starter Cody Vinson is back. Vinson hit .381 last year with three homers, 32 RBI, eight doubles and four sacrifice bunts.
“He’s been a three-year starter. He was hurt when he was a sophomore when he stepped on a shell when we were at Myrtle Beach and missed most of the year but he came back last year, played the whole season and did a great job,” Gertz said. “He’s got excellent power. He hit three or four home runs last year. He hit one here against Point Pleasant that was in straight-away center field that almost went to the girls’ softball field.”
Brown will most likely be Vinson’s backup catcher. Aaron Motto, a sophomore, is another catcher for Logan as well as freshman Adam Mareske.
“We would probably go to David Brown if something were to happen to Cody,” Gertz said. “Aaron worked on catching last year and improved. He may be a catcher of the future here along with Adam Mareske, Alex’s twin brother. He’s excellent at blocking balls. His arm has just got to be a little bit stronger. But for a freshman he does a tremendous job.”
Butcher is back as Logan’s starting first baseman. He will most likely man the first sack when not on the mound. Butcher also saw some time last season at third base.
“Jordan did a great job for us last year and hit in the mid .300s,” Gertz said. “He made the All-Cardinal Conference team and was honorable mention all-state. He did an outstanding job.”
Senior Nick Hoff, junior Shane Porter, Hooker and Lakatos can also play at first base.
At second base, senior Ross Easterling returns. The steady Easterling hit .349 last season with one homer, 11 RBI, three doubles and seven stolen bases. The lefty also had a team-best six sacrifice bunts. Easterling struck out just eight times in a team-high 109 official at-bats.
“Ross has gotten a lot stronger this year,” Gertz said. “He hits the ball hard and I think he will do an outstanding job for us at second base. We’ve also been working with him some on the mound and he’s looked good. He’s got a good curveball and his velocity has improved some. He will probably be a starter for us at some point. He pitched some last summer and played with a team out of Charleston. He’s a heady ballplayer and he’s an intelligent kid. He’s an outstanding hitter and he can hit the ball to all fields. He did a great job for us last year.”
At shortstop, junior Shaun Wagner and senior Chad Boytek will most likely share duties. Boytek, who hit .267 last year with 14 RBI, three doubles, two triples and eight stolen bases, has been Logan’s primary starter in right field the last two years. Gertz, though, plans on moving him into the infield. Wagner hit .261 last season with five RBI, a double and three steals in 23 at-bats.
“Shaun Wagner played some for us last year at short as a sophomore and he’s pushing for that job again this year,” Gertz said. “He’s gotten stronger and his arm has got a lot better. He can also play some at second base along with Ryan Butcher. He’s a sophomore and Jordan’s brother. Ryan has gotten stronger and is hitting the ball sharply.”
Timmy Rein, a junior, may also see time in Logan’s infield along with being a contender to start in left field. Rein hit .160 last year in 24 plate appearances with one double, a triple and a perfect 9-for-9 in basestealing attempts.
Gertz said Boytek has made a good transition into the infield so far.
“We moved Chad Boytek from the outfield to shortstop,” he said. “Chad has an excellent arm. He doesn’t have the experience there. He probably hasn’t played at short since the youth league but he’s one of our better athletes. He runs well and in the second part of the season he really hit the ball well. He came on and hit the ball well toward the end of the year. He provides a lot of speed for us. He’s worked harder this year than in any year. I think that it’s going to pay off. He’s probably the front-runner right now to play at short. It’s going to be a battle between him and Shaun Wagner.”
Brown will most likely be the starter at third base when not pitching. Abbott also played some there last year, along with Butcher.
“David played a lot of third base for us last year,” Gertz said. “Jordan played some at third last year but he will probably be exclusively at first base this year when he’s not pitching. He’s a big target to throw to over there. A lot of what you do in high school baseball is determined on who you pitch. These kids have to pitch and play another position. At the next level you might not do that but at the high school level you don’t have that kind of luxury.”
A.J. Chryssofos, a junior, could also see time at third base this season, Gertz added.
“He’s got a lot stronger and he’s been swinging the ball extremely well,” he said.
Gertz is also high on freshman Zach Ellis.
“He’s going to be a real good player, whether it be at third base or in the outfield. He’s a football player and he’s got good speed,” he said. “I think that he’s going to be a good player in time.”
In the outfield, senior Josh Wilson returns to center. The leadoff man hit .333 in 2008 with one home run, 12 RBI, four doubles and a team-best 14 stolen bases.
“Josh will play center field for us,” Gertz said. “He covers a lot of territory and he hit the ball well for us last year. Josh is a strong kid and he’s worked hard in the weight room. He was a heck of a football player and wrestler. He’s an outstanding athlete. He led off for us last year and I expect him to do the same thing this year. When he gets on base he puts pressure on the defense because he’s quick.”
Rein is the likely starter in left.
“Timmy’s growing like crazy. He’s about 6-1 or 6-2 now,” Gertz said. “He’s getting stronger and he’s swinging a good bat. He’s a tremendous athlete and he did a great job for the basketball team this season. He’ll do an outstanding job for us.”
In right field, Fleming is the likely starter when not on the mound.
“He started there last year and he gives us outstanding defense,” Gertz said of Fleming. “He’s worked hard and he will do a good job. Todd has a tremendous arm.”
When Fleming is pitching, Gertz said some other players will have to step forward. Ryan Butcher and Aaron Motto are two possible candidates.
Another Wildcat looking for playing time is sophomore Nathan Thornhill. He hit .200 last year with five RBI, a double and a stolen base. Thornhill was Logan’s designated hitter for part of last season.
“Right now, his arm is hurt,” Gertz said of Thornhill. “When Nathan hits the ball he hits the ball as hard as anybody that we have. We moved him to left field and hopefully he can help us there. He’s definitely going to help us at some point.”
Clint Hale, a sophomore, can also play some in the outfield for Logan. Jeremiah Dalton, another sophomore, is another outfielder. Greene and Corey Vinson, a sophomore, can also play in the outfield, Gertz said.
Logan is set to face George Washington and South Charleston in this year’s 3A sectional.
The section will not be held at one site.
In fact, it will be at all three schools.
Logan is slated to open the sectional against GW at home. The second game pits South Charleston at George Washington. LHS will then face South Charleston in the third sectional game at SC. The double-elimination tournament will then continue on a fourth day at a site to be determined later against the two teams that are still alive. If all three teams have split records on the fourth day, Logan would play at George Washington in an elimination game at GW.
“We talked about it and we all thought that it sounded fair,” Gertz said. “We drew numbers to see who would play who and when. That’s how the rotation was established.”
Logan’s schedule will be challenging this season with 3A home-and-home series against Cabell Midland, Hurricane, Nitro, South Charleston and GW. The Cats also have home-and-homes with county rivals Chapmanville and Man.
The highlight of the season is April 13-16 as the Wildcats are slated to play in the Mingo Bay Classic tourney at Myrtle Beach, S.C. Heading South has been almost a yearly event for the LHS baseball program.
“It’s going to be tough. There’s no doubt,” Gertz said about this year’s schedule. “When we go to Myrtle Beach we are playing Horse Head, New York, and they are a heck of a baseball school. Whenever they go and play at Myrtle Beach they are normally one of the better teams in the tournament from outside of the Myrtle Beach area. Obviously, they are hampered, as most northern teams are, because of the weather. In our second game at Myrtle Beach we are playing Lake City, South Carolina, which is in the Florence area. The last two years they have won their region, which includes Georgetown and Conway which are area powers. They are going to be unreal.”
Logan opens up the season on Wednesday at 3A Winfield, then play March 27 at Cabell Midland and March 28 at Hurricane.
“We could very easily be 0-3 right out of the chute,” Gertz said. “All three of those teams are good baseball teams. Winfield returns a lot of players. Cabell Midland is always a state power and goes to the state tournament a lot. Hurricane has already had a player sign with Ohio University and they are real good. We’re going to face some tough competition right off the bat. You don’t like to lose but if you face good pitching it will help you when it comes tournament time. When the tournament comes you will not be overwhelmed by good, live pitching.”
Logan’s home opener is set for April 1 against Westside.
After coming back from South Carolina, the Cats are scheduled to close out with one heck of a home stand. Logan is slated to play 11 out of its final 14 regular season contests at home. Two of the away games are in-county at Man and at Chapmanville.
“We try to do that because you want your fans to watch you in warm weather as opposed to cold weather,” Gertz said.
As of now, there will be no McDonald’s Classic tourney.
Logan has co-hosted the tournament along with Scott High School for more than 15 years. The tourney was usually held toward the end of April.
“It’s harder and harder to find teams that will come and play. When you are playing in a tournament they are giving up a home game,” Gertz said. “We still have three games that we can schedule and Mickey Thompson is the coach now at Scott. We play Sissonville at home on that Friday (April 24) where we normally would have the tournament. But they already have a game scheduled for Saturday and they couldn’t play in it. If we could pick up somebody to play there still is an outside chance that we could get it going but it does not look good at this point as far as the McDonald’s tournament is concerned.”
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