They reload.
The Wildcats, however, have a lot of work to do as new players have to step forward to replace the many seniors who graduated from last year’s 25-9 state tournament team.
Gone are all-state infielder Ross Easterling, who hit .442 last season with one home run and 22 RBI and all-state pitcher/infielder Jordan Butcher, who batted .394 with three homers and 43 RBI and was 7-2 on the mound with a 2.81 ERA.
Also lost due to graduation are: starting outfielders Josh Wilson and Chad Boytek; catcher Cody Vinson; and pitcher Ronnie Abbott.
Logan is still optimistic about 2010 and the goal remains the same – make it back to the Class AAA state tournament in Charleston.
“We did lose some good players from last year,” said Logan coach Roger Gertz, who has guided the Wildcats to Class AAA state championships in 1994, 2000 and 2001 and Double-A state crowns in 2005 and 2008. “Several of them are playing college baseball now. We lost not only good players but also good leaders. But we went into last year in the same situation. Hopefully, this group this year can step up just like last year’s group did. We’ve got a ways to go but by the end of the year we think that we can be pretty competitive.”
Logan is led by senior pitcher/outfielder Todd Fleming, who was 6-1 last season on the hill with a 0.83 ERA. The lefthander allowed just six earned runs and walked 21 while striking out 53 in 51 innings of work. Fleming also hit .311 with 18 RBI, three doubles and a triple.
“Todd pitched the other night against Hurricane in the opener,” Gertz said. “He did a good job in his first outing. He got the ball up a little bit in the fourth inning and a kid hit a three-run homer. But in five innings he had 10 strikeouts and no walks, which was really a good sign.”
Senior right-hander Corey Lakatos will be another pitcher in Logan’s starting rotation.
“Corey pitched a good inning against Hurricane. As the year goes on I think that he’ll get better and better,” Gertz said. “He did a pretty good job for us last year. He’s going to have to step up and be in the rotation.”
David Brown, the quarterback of the Logan football team and a junior, is another pitcher in the Wildcats’ rotation. He has seen a lot of action on the mound over the last two years. Last season, Brown was 5-2 with a 4.77 ERA with 42 strikeouts and 25 walks in 41 innings of work. At the plate, Brown hit .372 with one home run, 15 RBI, two doubles and a single.
“He’s a good right-hander and he saw some time pitching even as a freshman,” Gertz said. “He won some games and did a good job last year. He probably has the best arm among our pitchers velocity wise. He’s gotten stronger and bigger. This year should be very productive for him.”
Sophomore Alex Mareske will also be needed on the mound.
“He’ll be in our rotation. He’s got a real good breaking ball,” Gertz said of Mareske. “He’s got the potential to be a good one.”
Aaron Motto, a junior and Logan’s projected starting catcher, will also be counted on to pitch some for the Wildcats this spring.
“He’s our catcher but he’s looked pretty good pitching,” Gertz said. “He’s not done a whole lot of pitching in the past.”
Sophomores Cody Frye, Justin Oney and Matthew Greene will also pitch for Logan.
“Our biggest problem with our pitchers is our depth,” Gertz said. “We feel like we’ve got some good arms but not a lot of experience. Matthew Greene will also pitch some but he broke his foot in basketball season and probably won’t be able to pitch any for about three weeks. He’s a left-hander that’s got some potential. He helped our junior league team win the state championship last summer. Oney is a big, strong kid and he’s coming on. Coach (Jim) Willis does a great job developing these young arms and getting them ready to play.”
Motto will be Logan’s catcher.
“He started against Hurricane and did a tremendous job,” Gertz said. “Adam Mareske, a sophomore, is another catcher for us. Adam hits the ball extremely hard. We’ll have to find some spots to get him in. We’ve also worked him in some at first base.”
At first base, Lakatos will most likely get the nod when he’s not on the mound. Adam Mareske and Brown could also play at first.
“David’s very versatile,” Gertz said. “He could play several different positions. He can play outfield, third, first and can pitch. He did a very good job hitting for us last year. He’s got outstanding power. He’s going to be one of our better offensive players.”
Ryan Butcher, a junior, has the inside track to play at second base. Freshman Trent Dalton is also pressing for playing time at second. He’s the younger brother to senior Logan basketball standout Bryce Dalton.
“He’s gotten stronger,” Gertz said. “We’ve had several intersquad games where he has hit the ball extremely hard. I’m very confident that he’s going to hit as time goes on. Trent is a very good baseball player and in time will be an outstanding player. He’s so knowledgeable about the game and his instincts are very good. He can also play shortstop. Alex Mareske can also play short or second.”
At shortstop, senior Timmy Rein will most likely be Logan’s starter. He hit .382 last season with 17 RBI and four doubles. Rein was a member of Logan’s Class AAA state championship basketball team.
“He played third base for us last year,” Gertz said of Rein. “He’s got an outstanding glove. He’s got good quickness. Against Hurricane the other night he had a nice double. He’s a tremendous baseball player.”
At third base, senior A.J. Chryssofos appears to have the starting nod. Oney and Brown may also play some at third, along with sophomore Zach Ellis.
“He’s amazed me with how strong that he’s gotten,” Gertz said of Chryssofos. “He played JV ball last year. He’s arm has gotten stronger. That had been his drawback. It has gotten better. Zach has the potential to be good but he’s got to put more time into it. He’s a football player and he didn’t play baseball last summer which has hurt him. Baseball is a game in that the more live pitching you get the better you will get. There’s something in the muscle memory that you have to go through those times seeing it. But I think Zach will be a good baseball player if he puts some time into it.”
n the outfield, Logan must replace mainstays Boytek and Wilson.
“We lost Boytek in left and Wilson in center. Wilson started for two years and was an outstanding center fielder,” Gertz said.
Senior Shaun Wagner has been moved from the infield to center. Wagner hit .380 last season with 12 RBI and a pair of doubles.
“Shaun provides a lot of leadership for us,” Gertz said. “I think Shaun is really going to step up and do a whole lot more for us offensively this year. He did a good job for us last year but he’s gotten so much stronger. He’s worked real hard and his bat is much quicker. He’s going to do a good job for us offensively and defensively. You have to be strong up the middle and I think we are with Motto as the catcher, Rein and Butcher as the middle infielders and Shaun playing in center.”
In left field, junior Clint Hale could be the starter. He was Logan’s designated hitter for parts of last season.
“He’s a left-handed hitter and DH’d for us some last year. I look for him to do an outstanding job for us this year,” Gertz said.
Corey Vinson, a junior and Jeremiah Dalton are pressing for playing time in the outfield along with Andrew Staton.
In right field, Fleming will be Logan’s starter when he’s not pitching.
“He’s probably our best outfielder. He’s got an outstanding arm,” Gertz said of Fleming.
Logan will once again play South Charleston and George Washington in this year’s 3A sectionals. The Wildcats beat the Patriots and the Black Eagles last season to win their 10th straight sectional championship dating back to 2000. The sectional tourney is set to begin May 10 as Logan plays at South Charleston at 6:30 p.m. On May 11, GW plays at Logan before South Charleston plays at GW on May 12. The sectionals continue on May 13 with the finals.
The Wildcats are scheduled to have their home opener on Monday against South Charleston. Logan started the season with a 5-1 loss on March 24 at Hurricane.
Two tournaments highlight the 2010 season for the Wildcats.
On April 5-9 over Spring Break, Logan will once again take part in the Mingo Bay Classic at Socastee High School in the Myrtle Beach, S.C., area. Logan opens April 5 at 10 a.m. against Patrick City (S.C.), then faces Austintown-Fitch (Ohio) the following day at 10 a.m. On April 7, Logan takes on Martinsburg in a rematch of last year’s state tourney quarterfinals which was won by the Bulldogs, 8-1. Logan will then play two more tourney games on April 8 and 9 against yet-to-be determined foes.
On the way down to South Carolina, Logan is scheduled to play at Greenbrier East on April 2.
Gertz takes his team just about every season to Myrtle Beach and said the players enjoy the experience. The Wildcats usually play four or five games in good weather conditions and head back north with a lot of diamond time under their belts.
“It’s a big expense but they raise money for it,” Gertz said about the annual trip south. “The biggest fundraiser is our spaghetti dinner. It was very successful again this year. We also sell T-shirts and sweatshirts. We’ve sold a lot of those.”
Later in the season, Logan is scheduled to host the annual McDonald’s Classic at Roger Gertz Field. The Wildcats are set to play Greenbrier East and Matewan on April 23 and then play an undetermined team on April 24.
Logan also has home-and-homes with county teams Man and Chapmanville, as well as 3A contender Cabell Midland and former 2A sectional rival Scott.
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