‘I had a gut feeling’: Transferring to Northwood leads Voth to everyday success, back to NCAA Tournament

MIDLAND, Mich. — Logan Voth could have chosen the safe route.

Instead, he trusted his instincts.

Upon leaving Quincy University after the 2023 baseball season with the dream of becoming an everyday college player, the Mendon Unity graduate had two choices. One was to transfer to Webster University, an NCAA Division III program in St. Louis, and be closer to his girlfriend, Alyssa Steinkamp, who was attending SIU-Edwardsville at the time. The other was to head to Northwood University, an NCAA Division II program eight hours from home.

“I told (Steinkamp) I didn’t know why but I had this gut feeling Northwood is where I should be,” Voth said. “My parents, well, I think they were pushing for me to go to St. Louis instead of being so far away. At the end of the day, they all supported my decision. 

“We can all agree it was the best decision for me.”

Voth recently graduated from Northwood with a master’s degree in business administration, and he and Steinkamp are now engaged and planning a July 2026 wedding. His everyday contributions have helped the Northwood baseball team win the Great Midwest Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles.

That earned the Timberwolves the right to head to Allendale, Mich., and Grand Valley State this week for the NCAA Midwest Regional.

Sixth-seeded Northwood (35-19) will face third-seeded Lewis (36-16) at 2 p.m. Thursday in the first round of the double-elimination tournament. The game also serves as a reunion for Voth and former QU teammate Carter Endisch, a right-handed reliever who has made 17 appearances this spring for Lewis.

“We’ve been talking the past 24 hours,” Voth said. “We both said we made the right decisions. I tell my parents and my fiance all the time it’s the best decision I ever made. I feel like I knew it the moment I committed here. I didn’t know any of these dudes and any of these coaches, and they were talking to me like I had been here six years. I’ve created a great family up here.”

And he found an opportunity to play.

A left-handed hitter who played second base, third base and corner outfield during his two seasons with the Hawks, Voth immediately became the Timberwolves’ starting second baseman. He led the Timberwolves with 218 at-bats during the 2024 season, hitting .275 as they won 33 games and made an NCAA Tournament appearance.

He’s played 50 games this spring at first base, collecting 10 doubles and two triples with a .230 batting average. His defense has been impeccable as he has committed just four errors and owns a .987 fielding percentage on 301 chances.

More importantly, he’s put his bat control and high baseball IQ to good use.

“The way we play here is more of my style — bunt, stealing bases, a focus on defense,” Voth said. “I kind of want to say it’s like Whiteyball with the Cardinals, and that’s a style I really enjoy.”

The idea is to keep constant pressure on opposing defenses.

“That’s our goal every series,” Voth said.

It has worked. The Timberwolves have won five games in a row and seven of their last eight. This is their eighth consecutive NCAA appearance.

“This group is probably the closest group I have been a part of, and a bunch of us talk about how we’re going to remember this for a long time,” Voth said.

When the run ends, so does his baseball career. Voth has plans to work for a State Farm Insurance agent in Michigan, but he and his fiance would eventually like to relocate closer to the Kansas City area. 

“It’s close enough to home,” Voth said. “And I’m closer to my Chiefs.”

Until then, work must still be done as he writes the ending to his baseball dream.

“I had a gut feeling, and I took the chance,” Voth said. “And I have no regrets.”