In search of the 2010 Colt World Championship!!!

JCOnline:
Josh Loggins played high school, college and professional baseball, scouted for the Boston Red Sox and has given hitting instruction to hundreds of youngsters at Lafayette's On Deck Baseball and Softball Academy.

But when the Lafayette All-Stars begin Colt World Series competition on Aug. 7, one of the stars of Hoosier North's 1992 CWS championship team will be doing on-the-field coaching for the first time.

It's an assignment the Harrison graduate will embrace. Loggins worked briefly with McCutcheon's baseball team during its spring break trip to Florida, but those were only informal workouts.

"As far as game experience and being in the heat of what's going on, this is my first time," Loggins said Tuesday night. "When it was brought to me about coaching, I thought it was a good mix of getting involved but yet not too involved.

"We're not playing a 150-game schedule and traveling all over the place. It's a short time, and it's a good group of guys that all have aspirations of going on and playing. It's a good opportunity for me to help them do that."

Loggins will assist Lafayette head coach Dave Alexander, a Seattle Mariners scout and the former Purdue baseball coach.

"I enjoy this 15- and 16-year-old age group," Loggins said. "They are at that age of being right on that verge of seeing whether baseball is going to be a fit for them or not.

"Yet, the kids still are impressionable. They listen to what you say. They want to get better. They want to go on and play. It's a good fit for that."

Alexander is excited about adding Loggins as an assistant.

"It's absolutely a great opportunity to add Josh," Alexander said. "Matt Coddington did a great job for us last year.

"I would like to have both of them, but when West Lafayette (police) went to 12-hour shifts, Matt couldn't coach this year."

Loggins will provide the bulk of the hitting instruction, Alexander will guide the pitchers and each will focus on aspects of defense.

"A lot of these kids, I've had in lessons," Loggins said. "I've had some friendships built with some of these kids as they've grown up.

"With Dave, he has so much experience as far as the on-the-field thing. I think we will be a good blend. It's the little details I hope we can share with the guys."

Outfielder Nick Bartolone, a junior-to-be at Harrison and a second-year member of Lafayette's CWS team, is enjoying learning from Loggins.

"He helps us," Bartolone said. "He brings aspects of kind of newer things to the game. He takes a more modern baseball approach. He played the game not too long ago.

"When most of us are struggling with our swings, he picks it up pretty fast. He can point out a couple of things and correct your swing really quickly."

Bartolone also is honored to be playing for a coach who played for Harrison's 1995 state championship team.

"I've always wanted to meet him and learn from him about how they did it back then," Bartolone said.

"It's nice to meet a guy who used to go to your school and has been there, done that. He's great ... a good guy to be around."

Alexander said Lafayette's 18-player roster will benefit from Loggins' experience.

"Josh was a drafted player who played professionally, and he has played a lot of different positions," Alexander said. "He knows the game and understands the game.

"The other thing that helped him tremendously is that he scouted professionally. When you scout, you learn what works and what doesn't work, especially pitchers' mechanics. Scouting is about projecting guys. Are they going to get better, or are they going to stay the same?"

Loggins has a difficult time believing that it has been 18 years since he helped Hoosier North win its first CWS championship.

"A lot of time has passed, but some of my fondest high school memories are playing with those guys and playing in that Colt World Series experience," Loggins said.

"I still have a picture of me sliding across the plate with the winning run. Those early, impressionable memories stick with you forever."

Having played in the CWS, Loggins would like to help Lafayette win for the first time since 1977.

"It will be a good time," Loggins said. "We've got a schedule prior to the Colt World Series where we're playing 20-to-25 games.

"We're going to Chicago this weekend. We're playing a lot of the travel teams in Indiana. We're playing some good 16-year-olds, and we're playing some 18-year-olds. It will give these guys a chance to be pushed a little bit."

Alexander is enjoying coaching with Loggins and working with this team, several of whom were members of the 2009 CWS semifinalists.

"The attitude is great," Alexander said. "The kids have really listened, worked hard and paid attention. That's a big thing. It's more than half the battle."