Schuckman: Logsdon delivers clutch hit because no one in QU dugout ever lost faith in him

CALEDONIA, Mich. — The kind of moments a hitter lives for can be the ones most taxing or debilitating when success eludes you.

Lance Logsdon knows how true that can be.

The Quincy University junior first baseman faced the opportunity to capitalize on a game-changing at-bat each of the past two weekends. Neither time he came up clutch.

Against Lewis in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament, Logsdon had the bases loaded in the eighth inning with the Hawks trailing 6-3 when he struck out to end the inning. Quincy ultimately lost 6-4.

Then Thursday, in the first game of the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional, the Canton, Mo., product came to bat with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning with Quincy and Northwood tied at 5. He was called out on a check swing to end the threat. Three innings later, QU lost 10-5.

“I had a damn good opportunity to win that game for us and failed to,” Logsdon said.

All he wanted was a chance for redemption.

Saturday, such an opportunity existed and success couldn’t elude him.

With Dayson Croes on second base and one out in the ninth inning and Quincy and Davenport tied at 7, Logsdon calmly and confidently jumped on a fastball and hammered it off the left-center field wall — he missed a home run be a few feet — to drive in the winning run and send the Hawks to the super-regionals.

Quincy won 9-7 to eliminate a team it had lost to three times in the regular season and keep the hopes of another NCAA Division II World Series appearance alive.

“To get that opportunity to redeem myself and come up in a big spot, that was … a good feeling for myself,” Logsdon said.

Truthfully, his teammates expected such a clutch hit.

“That kid is a great hitter,” senior right-handed reliever Alex Pribyl said. “He finally got a good piece of one with some runners on and in good position. It fired the guys up.”

Pribyl, who struck out the final three batters in the ninth to preserve the victory, got so wrapped up in the moment he had to take a step back.

“The dugout was absolutely fired up,” Pribyl said. “I had to keep my own emotions in check for a second knowing I had to go back out there and get those three outs.”

The celebration was the validation of their faith in one of their most feared hitters.

“Everybody in the dugout kept their faith,” QU coach Matt Schissel said. “Everyone in the dugout believes in him. It came true today. It’s me believing in him, him believing in himself, and everyone in the dugout believing in him.”

Had anyone, including Logsdon himself, wavered, it would have been understandable.

After hitting .365 as a sophomore and excelling last summer in the MLB draft league, Logsdon has gone through some ups and downs this spring. His average dipped below .300 during the conference tournament with his RBI and power numbers slipping as well.

“It hasn’t been easy a lot this year,” Logsdon said.

Yet, it didn’t change his work ethic.

“Every day, I’ve been trying to go in there with a positive mindset,” Logsdon said. “It shows you just have to put everything behind you and go up there and do your best.”

Those previous at-bats weren’t on his mind when he came to the plate in the ninth.

“Nothing,” Logsdon said of what he was thinking. “The adrenalin just kicks in. You go up there and that’s what you practice for. If you don’t want that opportunity, you’re not the right guy.”

He wanted the opportunity, and he was the right guy.

“It could have been any of us,” Logsdon said. “I was fortunate to be the guy with the stick in my hands.”

He was that guy because no one gave up on him.

“It’s definitely been tough, but I give all the credit to the coaches and the players for continuing to believe in me and putting me in that lineup and expecting me to do that in that situation,” Logsdon said. “I’m glad I could repay that belief.”

It’s easy to believe in someone you trust.