Logsdon becomes QU’s all-time leader in homers, RBIs during best game of college career

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Baseball, Lance Logsdon says, can be a humbling game.

The first baseman on Quincy University’s baseball team suffered through a three-week stretch earlier this month during which he hit no home runs and drove in just four runs in 11 games.

“(Baseball) can come back and bite you in the ass,” Logsdon said. “It’s happened to me a lot this year.”

Logsdon’s bat had plenty of bite on Friday afternoon.

He enjoyed the most prolific game of his collegiate career, collecting five hits, including a pair of home runs, and driving in eight runs in the Hawks’ 20-6 victory over Illinois-Springfield in the first game of a three-game series at the NCAA Division II Midwest Super Regional. It was his first five-hit game of his career, and he broke his personal single-game record of seven RBIs on March 27, 2021 against Missouri S&T.

Afterward, Logsdon tried to remain calm and focus on Saturday, when the Hawks need to win one of two games against the Prairie Stars to earn a trip to Cary, N.C., and the NCAA Division II World Series that begins June 4.

However, he couldn’t help but grin a little.

“I’m not trying to think about it,” he said. “I’m trying to take it one step at a time. You know, one by one. Can’t look too much ahead.”

Told that he was being intentionally humble, Logsdon replied, “I’m trying to be. I don’t want to jinx it.”

Most career home runs at Quincy University

Logsdon became QU’s all-time leader in two statistics on Friday. He hit a solo homer to center field in the second inning, then crushed a three-run homer to right field in the third inning to give him 36 career homers. That figure surpasses Chad Hammons, who hit 35 home runs from 1997 to 1999.

Logsdon’s eight RBIs gives him 159 for his career, two more than previous record holder Kevin Sewell, who drove in 157 runs from 2002 to 2004.

“I heard about (the records) from a few people, but it’s over now,” he said. “That’s how it feels. I’m glad it’s over. It’s off my back. I just want to win a game at this point. That’s all it is. It doesn’t matter if I go for 5 for 5 or 0 for 5. As long as we win, it doesn’t really matter right now.”

Most career runs batted in at Quincy University

Prairie Stars coach Ryan Copeland is growing tired of watching Logsdon come to the plate. The Hawks’ junior has 10 hits in five games against Illinois-Springfield this season.

“It feels like he’s been here forever, and he’s always gotten his hits,” Copeland said. “He came into the game with one home run off left-handed pitching all year, and he has two today. That’s just a guy who’s been around a long time, knows how to hit and knows when to look for certain pitches. I have a lot of respect for him. He just went and did it. With his performance, he single-handedly wins that game for them. Very impressive.”

Logsdon’s most impressive hit Friday was a majestic blast he hit off Prairie Stars reliever Brendan Anderson in the third inning. He hit it plenty hard enough to be a home run, but a wind blowing out to right field helped it clear the scoreboard in right-center field.

“I put good swings on them,” he said of his homers. “It’s the way it goes sometimes.”

Logsdon then grinned when asked about the second homer.

“Yeah, I knew it,” he said. “As soon as I hit it, it felt good.”

It felt good enough to elicit a small bat flip as Logsdon watched it soar.

“That was just about the intensity of the game more than anything,” he said. “Those runs were big. Overall, it was just a good team effort.”

Logsdon is hitting .319 this season with 15 home runs and 56 runs batted in. During that three-week stretch in May, he was 9-for-35 (.257) to end the regular season. He picked up two hits in each of the first two games in the GLVC Tournament, then went 1-for-11 in the last three games of the tournament.

Logsdon has rediscovered his stroke during the NCAA Tournament, hitting .464 (13 for 28) with four home runs and 16 RBIs in five games.

“He’s been talking about the past couple of weeks, he’s gone through a little bit of a slump, but everyone on the team has got his back,” junior third baseman Nolan Wosman said. “I think he knows that, too. (Today didn’t) really surprise most of us. I mean, we see it all year long.”

Hawks coach Matt Schissel emphasized patience with Logsdon as he fought through his slump.

“He’ll be the first to tell you he had a rough patch during the second half of the season,” he said. “Very few guys stay hot from game one to game 60. You’re going to hit it. You’re going to hit the rough spot. It happens. He’s been our four-hole (cleanup) hitter most of the year, and I believe in him. He believes in himself, and the guys believe it.

“We had a conversation during the week about approach. You’re looking for a fastball and you’re getting a breaking ball. You’re looking for a breaking ball, you’re getting a fastball. He’s in between stuff, but nothing crazy. Not trying to change (him). He’s a good hitter. Everyone knows he broke the home run record today for a reason. He’s a good hitter, and good hitters find their way out of it.”