OUT OF THIS WORLD: Clarion-Limestone’s Logan Lutz Finds Home With Travel Baseball Team in Mars and Also a College Home at Alfred State – exploreClarion

STRATTANVILLE, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Logan Lutz walked off the mound at the end of a shutout victory for the Mars Invaders U17 travel baseball team at Seton Hill University last week.

An assistant coach for Mars asked him if he wanted to keep the baseball.

Lutz was confused. Then he found out why that ball was so important.

Lutz, who will be a senior at Clarion-Limestone in the fall, had just thrown a no-hitter, needing just 65 pitches to do it.

“I didn’t really realize it,” said the left-hander. “I was like, ‘Wow.’ I didn’t really expect it. It didn’t really come to my mind at first.”

It was another strong game for Lutz this summer for Mars, a team that hails about 70 miles southeast of Strattanville. But Lutz has found a home there and a way for him to improve his burgeoning skills, both as a pitcher and an outfielder with a quick bat, good feet and an excellent glove.

Lutz connected with Mars a few years ago while playing against it. Then he was asked to come aboard.

“I had a little break in my travel ball two years ago where I didn’t really do a whole lot, just doing things by myself,” Lutz said. “Then the coach (Dave Kuremsky) asked me if I wanted to join their new tournament team that they were putting together and I decided to join in. It’s been a fun experience with them.”

Redbank Valley’s Breckin Minich is also on the team.

Lutz has found the experience valuable.

The workload is heavy with five or six games played over a four-game span from Thursday through Sunday each weekend.

But Lutz said he welcomes that challenge.

“We’ll probably play close to 40 games (during the summer),” Lutz said. “I’m usually pitching one of the games, or maybe I’m relieving in two. That will help me for college because you’re playing 40 to 50 games, plus playoffs. To me, it’s a boost and very helpful for going to the next level.”

Lutz had also been working with former Mars Area High School baseball coach Andy Bednar and father of Pittsburgh Pirates’ closer David Bednar on his pitching mechanics.

The results have been striking.

Lutz’s velocity is up, as is the spin rate in his secondary pitches.

“When I first met him, I had a problem where I wasn’t driving down the mound,” Lutz said. “We worked on it all last winter and this winter. He says there’s a big change in velocity and mechanics. He said it’s a huge step from where I was when he first met me to where I am now. He congratulated me on the no-hitter. It was because of him. I couldn’t have done it without him.”

Lurz has become well-versed in the baseball hotbed that Mars has become lately.

David Bednar is already one of the best closers in baseball. His younger brother, Will, won a College World Series title as a dominant right-handed pitcher with Mississippi State in 2021 and is currently in Double-A in the San Francisco Giants organization. And JJ Wetherholt, another Mars native, could be the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming MLB draft after an exceptional career at West Virginia University.

“I’ve looked into all of those guys,” Lutz said.

Lutz hopes to one day join them in professional baseball.

Lutz shined this spring for Clarion-Limestone, batting .345 with eight doubles and 13 RBIs at the top of the Lions’ order. On the mound, Lutz worked as both a starter and a reliever, putting up a 2.22 ERA in 34⅔ innings, striking out 46 and walking just 13.

His velocity has ticked up, topping out in the mid-80s, and he hopes to add more zip on his fastball between now and the end of his high school career.

“I’m looking to take tiny baby steps to my main goal, velocity-wise, which is to touch 90 consistently,” Lutz said. “As a lefty, that’d be really, really good.”

Lutz already knows where he will play after high school.

He recently committed to attend Alfred State College in New York, where he will both play the outfield and pitch. 

Being a two-way player in college was something Lutz craved.

“That was kind of important to me. I wanted to go for both,” Lutz said. “I really liked the vibe of the team and the coach. It’s a great environment to be in.”

Lutz has also made strides at the plate, which made him an attractive recruit.

With his blend of speed and bat control, as well as his ability to play strong outfield defense, Lutz was a gem of a get for Alfred.

“I’ve been trying new adjustments, and I’ve been getting a little bit bigger and a bit stronger,” Lutz said. “I’m just finding ways to hit the ball harder, working on bat speed and making better contact and finding gaps. I’m also working on the smarts of the game, working on situations.”

Lutz has had a passion for baseball since he attended his first baseball game in Pittsburgh when he was very young.

Andrew McCutchen quickly became his favorite player, then his horizons expanded into the game’s rich history.

He became enamored with Jackie Robinson and his story, — so much so that he donned jersey No. 42 in high school, as well as on his summer team in Mars.

He will also likely wear that number at Alfred — another gesture that made Lutz feel at home there.

“They just got brand new jerseys, and we asked them the last time I was up there if I could have that number,” Lutz said. “They were willing to make me one and it would be ready for me, so hopefully I get to wear it. I was grateful.”

Lutz hopes one day he has a number dilemma.

Should he make it to The Show one day, he can’t wear No. 42 — that number is retired by MLB.

Lutz already has some ideas.

“The first number that comes to mind would be 21,” he said. “Roberto Clemente. That was my dad’s favorite player. Another would be No. 8, which was my dad’s number in high school because of Cal Ripken. I always thought 21 would be perfect because 21 and 21 is 42. It’s a win-win.”

Lutz has long had the dream of playing major league baseball one day. He is well aware of the work required to get there.

He’s already embracing some of the new-age techniques, like distance running, plyometrics and taking care of that valuable arm.

“Running is good for pitching and so is biking — I try to ride a bike here and there,” Lutz said. “Try to build up endurance and lower-body strength. With plyometrics and stretching, everything that has to do with arm care — pretty much everything in the book — I’m going to do to prepare. That’s where I am now. And I’m going to keep doing it as I go farther in my journey.”