Standard of success: Logsdon’s legacy with QU baseball program will be defined by drive, determination and doing things right way

QUINCY — The preferred option isn’t always the right option.

Josh Rabe helped Lance Logsdon see that.

And by embracing such a notion, the left-handed slugger discovered he was choosing the best option imaginable.

Deciding to play baseball at Quincy University and forego the dream of an NCAA Division I scholarship allowed Logsdon to earn a bachelor’s degree in sports management and a master’s degree in business administration, find the love of his life in Mattison Norris and create a legacy as one of the most accomplished hitters in QU history.

So going the NCAA Division II route was indeed the right choice.

“There’s no question about that,” Logsdon said.

But you have to dig deeper than the numbers he’s hammered out to see why.

Sure, heading into the final home weekend of the regular season with Senior Day activities planned prior to Sunday’s series finale against Drury, Logsdon continues to add to his record-setting career.

In seven key statistical categories, Logsdon is the QU career leader in four (home runs, doubles, RBIs and walks), second in one (at-bats) and third in two others (hits and runs scored). Depending on how deep into the postseason the Hawks go, he could rise to the top of the charts in two of those categories.

His numbers this season are as good as any in his career — Logsdon is hitting .336 with 10 doubles, nine home runs and 38 RBIs.

But those aren’t the numbers that matter, not right now.

“It will be something where I look back and show my kids one day that dad was actually good at something,” he said.

What he’s looking for now is a team record and a ring.

If the Hawks sweep their final two weekends, they would become the first team in program history with 40 regular-season victories. That would likely wrap up the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region as well, which could be the springboard to the NCAA Division II World Series.

And that elusive ring would come with it. Since joining the Hawks in 2019, Logsdon has been a part of three NCAA Tournament teams and two 30-win teams while helping QU reach the super-regional last season. However, the Hawks haven’t won a postseason title of any kind in that stretch, which means no championship ring.

“It’s what I want more than anything for this group,” Logsdon said. “It’s our goal.”

The only way to achieve it is to play the game the right way.

‘I’ll be able to carry that with me’

Logsdon was born to play sports. His parents, Troy and Carie Logsdon, were both college basketball players. His aunt, Linda Wallingford, is the all-time leading scorer at Culver-Stockton College. His uncle, Greg Logsdon, set scoring records at Highland High School, played at Culver-Stockton and coached at the collegiate level.

So basketball should have been his future, right?

“Athletically, I wasn’t as special as other people may be,” Logsdon said. “I realized that at a younger age that I needed to play baseball and get really good at that. … I had a lot of success at a very young age and that kind of boosted me to pursue baseball even more.”

The sport didn’t matter to anyone in his family. Only the work ethic did.

“My dad was the person who pushed me to keep going, pushed me to keep working hard,” Logsdon said. “That’s what he instilled in me more than anything. I’ll be able to carry that with me no matter what it is I do.”

It’s been a staple of his collegiate career.

Norris, who transferred to QU from DePaul and developed into an All-American outside hitter for the women’s volleyball team, was half-heartedly wished good luck in seeing Logsdon on a consistent basis when she started dating him. Why? He was always in the gym or the batting cage or somewhere working on his craft.

“That’s true,” Logsdon said.

Norris simply nodded in agreement.

“I haven’t met anyone who worked harder,” she said.

There was no other way for Logsdon to show his younger teammates the value of hard work other than to work hard himself and let it rub off on them. He embraced that responsibility, especially the last couple of seasons since he’s become one of the grizzled veterans.

“Right now, the main thing with this team and being on the track we’re on is being that guy when times are tough that keeps everybody in line,” Logsdon said. “More than anything, I try to be that for this team. I tell guys all the time when they have a bad at-bat in a big situation that your next one is even bigger. I try to be that guy that stays confident.

“Being a guy who has a lot of experience, you know big at-bats come up at any time and you don’t know who it is going to be. So trying to keep those guys on track, even if you’re struggling, that’s important. That’s what I’m here for more than anything.”

It’s why Rabe wanted him and why their relationship brought Logsdon here.

‘I take more pride in that than any record’

The former QU baseball coach who is now the university’s athletic director, Rabe saw similarities between his small-town upbringing and that of Logsdon. Rabe grew up in Mendon, graduated from Unity High School, chose Quincy University and became an All-American outfielder and eventual Major League Baseball player.

He did so without the fanfare of being a Division I athlete.

That’s the story, among others, he shared with Logsdon.

Logsdon committed to the University of Missouri in the fall of his junior season, but after leading Canton to back-to-back Class 2 state runner-up finishes, the 6-foot-3 right-handed throwing standout underwent surgery for a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

Suddenly, the NCAA Division I interest cooled, and QU became a better option.

“You don’t always see the value of going to a D-II school when you have your sights set on a D-I scholarship,” Rabe said. “You have to be able to see where’s the best fit and what program is going to help you reach your full potential.”

Rabe helped Logsdon see that. He also wanted Logsdon to be a hitter more than a pitcher, something that truly took hold after suffering another shoulder injury late in his freshman season.

It’s how “adversity” became the word Logsdon uses to describe his career.

“Having two shoulder surgeries, working back from that, it’s tough,” Logsdon said. “Personally, I could have just laid down and called it good and say I tried. But that’s not me. Working as hard as I can to be a part of a winning team every year has been what matters. I’ve done that. We’ve had success as a team every year.

“I take more pride in that than any record.”

QU’s record in the four-plus seasons Logsdon has spent with the Hawks — the 2020 season was wiped out by the COVD-19 pandemic — is 140-75 overall (.651 winning percentage) and 80-38 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (.678 winning percentage).

“His thumbprint is all over our success,” QU coach Matt Schissel said. “Not just in the number of wins, but in the process of winning. He helps set the tone for our approach and is the guy everyone else follows. He’s the leader.”

Commitment, determination and drive are the hallmarks of that success, not just for Logsdon, but those around him as well.

“There’s a right way to do things in baseball and there’s a wrong way,” Logsdon said. “The game rewards people that do things the right way. Just trying to push people down that track is important. There’s a culture here that needs set and standards need to be set for the next guys to meet and maintain those standards. That’s why I’m that way.”

And he won’t change, no matter where the road goes.

Logsdon may have the opportunity to play professionally after this season. Coaching is another option. There are other paths outside of the sport he could pursue, too. Baseball will be part of the decision regardless of which option he chooses.

“One-hundred perfect, baseball is in my future,” Logsdon said. “I don’t know in what capacity, but I do want to help the next generation. I do really like helping younger kids and showing them the right way to do things.”

Part of that is teaching them what matters isn’t the numbers or the glory.

It’s about achieving success together with a group of guys that become your brothers.

“All the relationships created along the way, that’s what I would say the best part is,” Logsdon said.