MARIAN RIGHT-HANDER THRIVES UNDER PRESSURE
By: Brad Krause | brad.krause@blueribbonsbaseball.org
Only in his second season with the Green Bay Blue Ribbons, right-hander Logan Lange has already established himself as a big-game pitcher, who relishes the opportunity to take the mound against some of the Wisconsin State League’s toughest competition.
As evidence of that, two of Lange’s best starts in 2022 came against the eventual WSL champion Lombard Orioles, a team that has dominated the league for more than two decades.
“I like to challenge myself” Lange said, “and when (Manager Anthony) Sottile comes up to me and says ‘hey, Lombard’s a pretty good team’, and then watching those games before mine, it kind of opened my eyes and I was like, ‘okay this is kind of a serious team and I’ve got to bring my A-game’.”
And Lange did just that. Last June, he pitched five strong innings as the Ribbons hung tough during the league’s 5th Game Challenge, and then in July, he turned in his finest outing of the season, tossing seven scoreless frames at Joannes Stadium before finally surrendering a run in extra innings.
“Those guys give me the best opportunity to compete, and challenge, and kind of show what kind of stuff I have” Lange said.
Wanting the ball in key moments is nothing new for Lange, who was called up to the varsity squad as a sophomore at perennial powerhouse Sun Prairie, when they reached the High School State Championship game in 2017.
The Cardinals returned to the Championship game during Lange’s senior season in 2019, and though they dropped a heartbreaker to Eau Claire North, Lange’s head coach, Rob Hamilton, had high praise for him, telling the Sun Prairie Star, “Logan Lange pitched his heart out. This game wouldn’t have come down to this if Logan Lange wasn’t who he was. He was awesome.”
Following his high school career, Lange enrolled at Marian University, but after making just one relief appearance in 2020, COVID-19 put an abrupt halt to his freshman season, presenting a new set of challenges for the young hurler.
“It was hard” said Lange. “It definitely was tough. Just being fresh out of high school and seeing what a college workout plan is, throwing progression and all that stuff, it definitely was hard to kind of do on my own.”
Thankfully, Lange had a strong support system around him to help him deal with a difficult situation. “I fortunately had a lot of help from my parents” he said. “My mom and dad are my biggest supporters. They’ve given up countless weekends, weeks, hours, going to baseball tournaments, taking me to practices, and funding for baseball just in general. So I would say they’re definitely a big part of my success and where I am today. We built a mound in my back yard and I was able to simulate bullpens and games with my dad’s help, so that was big going from my freshman year into that sophomore season.”
Lange also got a chance to participate in the Northwoods League later that summer with the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders, during their abbreviated 2020 season, and was able to use that experience to help springboard him to a terrific 2021 campaign.
“It definitely was a good challenge” he said. “As a player, I like to challenge myself, and coming from a D3 school, playing against those bigger D1 guys, definitely puts you in a situation where a lot of people might doubt you in a certain sense, but it was really good to try and challenge myself and see that I could compete with those guys and be able to have success.”
Moving into the starting rotation at Marian, Lange made big strides in 2021, posting a 3.86 earned run average over nine games, before being presented with the opportunity to pitch for the Springfield Sliders in the Prospect League in the summer of 2021.
He started eight games at Marian in 2022, then made his way to Green Bay to join the Blue Ribbons last summer.
“I had the honor to play with Sottile for a couple of years (at Marian)” he said, “and one of my coaches told me about this up here, and Sottile was like ‘yeah we’d love to have you’. So I got the opportunity to come up last year and have some fun.”
With a sturdy frame and the ability to work multiple times through the order, Lange features a four-pitch mix that includes a high-80’s fastball and a wipeout slider. He’s also a thinking-man’s pitcher, who places a big emphasis on the mental side of baseball.
“Honestly I think it’s a big part of the game” Lange said, “to kind of analyze your hitters. Just finding even the smallest details can make the biggest impact on your sequencing and your overall game. A lot of people will say it’s a ‘game inside of the game’ when you’re pitching, and I definitely think that’s a big deal to me.”
“He’s got a fiery, competitive mentality,” said catcher Steven Russell. “You know he’s gonna put his heart into his game. Lange’s a guy that’s very tactical when he pitches, so he definitely likes to take each hitter in the lineup, pick out what he wants to throw to them, and he really likes working his pitches off of the previous pitches.”
Blue Ribbons pitching coach Taylor Middaugh shared some similar thoughts on Lange, saying, “He definitely feeds off his successes. Like if he throws a couple strikes, he defintely wants to throw a fastball by somebody; and if he’s getting a lot of outs in a row, he’s going to continue to attack hitters.”
Middaugh, who played with Lange in both high school and college, has watched him develop over the last few years, and has seen him grow into a leadership role. “We were pretty successful, so he knows what it takes to have that fire in him and that winning mentality. He’s just continued to do that ever since he graduated high school and now taking it into Marian and coming here as well. He’s had a lot of innings for us and he’s got a lot of experience, so I think here he can help a lot of the young guys out with the pressure innings, and he’ll be a big help for some of the young guys especially.”
That leadership role is one that Lange thrives in, as he’s quick to downplay his own successes. preferring instead to shine a light on his teammates surrounding him.
“I think I’m extremely gifted to have these guys behind me” he said. “I can’t pitch without those seven guys behind me. Having those guys and having the confidence that I do in them, I think is crazy. Griff (Griffin Summers) is an amazing shortstop. Whenever the ball is hit to him I know that the play is gonna be made. And just having all these new guys coming in and showing what they have, I’m extremely lucky to have these guys. Every time I go out on the mound I know that it’s going to be a competitive game and they’re gonna give their all to be behind me and stay stacked. I’m extremely lucky. I wouldn’t be able to pitch and do the things I do without them.”
Lange is also quick to credit the guys doing the dirty work behind the plate as well, including his Marian teammate Steven Russell. “Steve’s a great guy, great catcher. He has a plan every time he goes behind the plate and I trust him with everything we throw. I think that’s a big part of the game. When you understand and can have the confidence in that guy that you’re throwing to, like I do with all of our catchers, I think that’s a huge part of it. When you’re not hesitant to throw something, and having that confidence and being able to shove to them, it’s a big part.”
Still, at the end of the day, Lange welcomes the opportunity to be the man with the baseball in his hand when the game is on the line. “I do see myself as a big-game pitcher and I want the ball in those situations,” he said. “I like to challenge myself, and I like to really compete.”
Lange and his Blue Ribbons squad will have plenty of chances to compete this weekend, when they head to Sheboygan for the Wisconsin State League’s 5th Game Challenge, with games against four different opponents scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
The Ribbons kick things off on Saturday morning against the West Allis Nationals at 11:00 AM, and take on the Kenosha Kings at 2:00 PM. Then on Sunday, they go up against the Lombard Orioles at noon, before wrapping up the weekend with a game against the Addison Braves at 3:00 PM.
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