Van Sicklen Features Strong Arm, Power Potential

WATERFORD - There is a lot of uncertainty when it comes to the recruiting process for Logan Van Sicklen.

“It doesn’t matter what level, but I have good grades and expect the most out of myself,” the Waterford Kettering junior said about his college baseball future. “I want to play and compete.”

What the 40th-ranked 2022 in Michigan has done is continue to improve his game.

“I’ve gotten with a personal trainer,” Van Sicklen noted. “I’ve made it a point to make my nutrition right. I want to be the healthiest I can be and get stronger.”

Van Sicklen has also found the time to make strides on the field over the past year since Covid-19 came into play.

“I feel it was a blessing for me to get shut down so there was not playing and more free time to work,” Van Sicklen explained. “It’s not altered my improvement, it’s helped me. I shut myself in the house with weights and balls and have gotten better.”

Additional size has come with the territory for the 5-10 210-pounder, an inch taller and 12 pounds heavier than the start of the pandemic.

“I definitely have the strength and speed now, but I need more playing time with what’s going on,” Van Sicklen explained. “I feel my approach is good, I get on base a lot, I just need more consistency.”

Aaron Wilson, PBR Michigan Director of Scouting, is impressed with what he has witnessed out of Van Sicklen.

“Logan is a high-motor guy that has a magnetic personality,” Wilson noted. “He has a strong arm behind the plate with the ability to receive well. He also has big-time power possibilities at the plate and throws 90 miles an hour off the hill. He will surely be an asset to a college program.”

Nathan Rode, PBR National Supervisor, earlier this month named Van Sicklen among 24 juniors across the country as winter standouts that have made recent notable performances.

“He has fast hands at the plate with raw power potential,” Rode said. “During the Bulls Scout Day, he posted a 100 exit velocity with a max bat speed of 73.9. Behind the dish, he is quick out of the crouch with a strong throwing arm and also displays a three-pitch mix with a fastball up to 90.”

The fifth-rated junior catcher in the state is confident he can be a major addition to whatever school he calls home at the next level.

“I’ll bring leadership and a strong work ethic,” Van Sicklen pointed out. “I’m always the first person there and the last to leave. I make players around me better.”

There is more that the soon-to-be 16-year-old can provide.

“I’m a scholar athlete with a high GPA,” noted Van Sicklen, who carries a 3.9 grade point average and plans to major in kinesiology. “I’m very ambitious no matter what I do. I want to be the best I can be.”

While catching is his position when it comes to recruitment, the strong-armed Waterford Kettering junior, with a pop time of 1.94, has added pitching to his resume.

“I’ve really improved my consistency in the strike zone,” related Van Sicklen, who has topped out at 90 with his fastball. “I’ve really made it a point to shut out off-field distractions and execute.”

Playing college baseball is more of a recent development according to the 16th-ranked uncommitted 2022 in Michigan.

“I really love playing the game and started thinking about it freshman year,” Van Sicklen reflected. “I grew up watching the College World Series on TV, I just love the competitive energy. It’s something I want to do and take it to the next level.”

It was a year earlier the realization of a future in baseball actually came to Van Sicklen.

“HitTrax has a leaderboard and eighth-grade year I was looking and saw I had one of the highest in the nation,” Van Sicklen said. “It was then I began thinking maybe I am pretty good at baseball and could do something with this.”

But where Van Sicklen goes from here with the recruiting process is, admittedly, an unknown.

“I’m struggling to know how to put myself out there,” Van Sicklen said. “I think about it all the time, but don’t really know what to do. I thought it was by chance that a team would see you play and put you on a list. I really haven’t sent out any videos or emails and don’t know if I should call or post on twitter.”

Help with his game has come from Bulls coach Juan Sanchez.

“He’s taught me about working hard,” Van Sicklen explained. “No excuses. You have an opportunity to play, you either take it and do with it what you can or you don’t.”