Tonight, Snider center-fielder Brandon Logan was presented with the Dick Crumback/NEIBA High School Player of the Year Award at the Northeast Indiana Baseball Association’s Hall of Fame Banquet. The banquet took place at Classic Cafe Catering and Events Center in Fort Wayne, IN. Logan is the seventh high school baseball player to win the award since 2019, when South Adams’ Grant Besser won the award (the award was not presented in 2020 with the season being canceled that year).
“I’m proud of it, it’s something that I’ve wanted to accomplish since I’ve been in high school, and I’m glad that I did that,” Logan said.
“If there’s anyone obviously that’s deserving in the area, that’s him,” Snider head coach Josh Clinkenbeard said. “He’s put up some just absolute gaudy numbers offensively and defensively, of course, as he can track down any ball in the outfield. And we’re just really happy for him, and he’s well deserving of this award.”
Logan has been a varsity starter at Snider since his freshman season. He has primarily starting in center field and has frequently been the Panthers’ leadoff hitter. In center, he can cover a lot of ground chasing after fly balls and commits very few errors. At the plate, he has finished each season with a batting average over .400. In his career, he has hit 11 home runs and had 80 runs batted in.
“You don’t see that often, but [the Snider coaches] really do believe in me, and I also work really hard at what I do, and I’ve been doing that for a long time,” Logan said. “So I think the combination of my coaches believing in me and me putting in the work that [is required] to be successful has put me where I am today.”
This year, Logan is batting .415, and has career highs in home runs (7) and RBI’s (31). Defensively, he continues to play centerfield extremely well. He has not committed an error all year (He only has six in his career). Logan has also pitched two games this season. In those two games he has seven strikeouts, seven walks, two hits, and no runs surrendered.
“I’m really proud of that, and I’m looking forward to this postseason and winning some more championships,” Logan said.
Clinkenbeard said that Logan’s leadership is one of the best qualities that he brings to the team.
“You know, he sets the tone for practice every single day. He brings the energy every single day. He brings the competition everyday,” Clinkenbeard said. “Then in addition to that, it’s just the skill set that he possesses. He hasn’t reached his full potential yet, which is kind of scary for opponents out there. But he’s just a great kid, and we just appreciate his leadership, again, as a senior. And again, his offensive numbers are just outstanding, and defensively he can track down any ball in the outfield, and he can make plays. He can really change games when he’s in the lineup.”
While the award banquet has ended, the celebration has not. Logan is scheduled to be honored at the Fort Wayne Tin Caps’ game against the South Bend Cubs on June 11th. He will likely throw a ceremonial first pitch, as previous Crumback Award winners have gotten to do just that.
For Logan and the Panthers, the season continues tomorrow. They will take on the Northrop Bruins in the Sectional #5 championship game at Carroll High School.
“I’m really looking forward to it, and ready to win a sectional championship,” Logan said.
“You know, our first message as soon as we got back to practice the next day was ‘we’ve only earned the right to play for a sectional championship, and we still have a mission,’” Clinkenbeard said. “And I know the guys looked at me, and they all gave me a collective nod. They knew what we have at stake, and … we’re on a mission right now.”
After the season ends, Logan will go to college at University of Notre Dame where he will play both baseball and football. He had originally committed to Vanderbilt’s baseball program. He announced his commitment to Notre Dame in August 10th of last year. In football, he has played receiver and defensive back.
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