From Muenster, Sask., to the majors? It may be a long shot, but for Logan Hofmann it’s never felt closer.
Hofmann had his college baseball season cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic but he used what little time he did have to make a big impact.
In his first season with the Northwestern State (Louisiana) Demons, the right-handed pitcher from Muenster, a village just east of Humboldt, Sask., recorded 28 innings pitched over four starts and struck out 38 batters without allowing a single earned run.
For his efforts, Hofmann was named a second-team All-American.
The All-American selection is just the latest highlight on a journey Hofmann hopes will one day take him to the major leagues, a journey that saw the 20-year-old spend the previous two seasons at Colby (Kansas) Community College after starring with his hometown Muenster Red Sox of the Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League.
“It’s really a special thing to be a part of, growing up in Muenster. It’s a good thing for me. It set a good base for me to go to college and the support from the community has been awesome,” he said.
Logan’s father Chad, who coached him throughout his youth, knows what baseball means to the community.
Hofmann was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 35th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft but opted not to sign with the organization in hopes that a good year at Northwestern State would help boost his stock before re-entering the draft in 2020.
He held up his end of the bargain with the Demons but COVID-19 threatens to throw a wrench in his plans. This year’s draft has been streamlined from 40 rounds to just five, significantly impacting the draft hopes of hundreds of MLB prospects, including Hofmann.
“I don’t really know what to expect. It’s kinda 50-50 so that could pan out and if not, I have a great plan to go back to Northwestern State, have another successful year next year and hope for the draft next year.”
For now, Hofmann is enjoying extra time at home and spending some of it working with a handful of local ballplayers who one day hope to follow in his footsteps, confident that if he does get that fateful call, he’ll be ready to take the next step on his baseball journey.
“You gotta focus on your career and just know that if you do get the opportunity, you gotta make the most of it and good things will happen from there.”
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