Martel Jumps At The Opportunity To Play In The Big 10

Logan Martel C / 1B / Canterbury School, CT / 2026

WESTFIELD, N.J. - “Everything seemed to click.”

That was the feeling Logan Martel had with Rutgers during a recruiting process that included a large number of schools showing an interest in the second-rated 2026 catcher in New England.

In the end, Martel was confident a commitment to the Big 10 university located in New Brunswick, N.J., was the right thing to do.

“I went to a Rutgers camp two years ago and to another before Aug. 1,” Martel explained. “They also saw me at the Futures, so they’ve been on me for a while. After the Futures on Aug. 1, I had a lot of schools reach out, most that saw me at the Future Games. Rutgers was one of them.

“Two weeks later Rutgers called back. We had a zoom with my parents and a couple of days later they offered. I committed three days after that.”

LSU, Maryland, Penn, Tulane and Northeastern were among the other schools showing an interest in the 6-1 202-pound left-handed hitting catcher from Canterbury High School, who was a two-time participant at the Prep Baseball Future Games.

“A lot that reached out said to come in September for a visit,” Martel noted. “I saw the facilities at Rutgers before and they’re amazing. One of my friends goes there, they’re getting a new stadium in 20206 and I got along with all the coaches. They all have a good personality.”

That is something that the staff at Rutgers saw in Martel.

“They loved my personality and also my swing,” the 17-year-old related. “They love that I’m athletic. When I’m not catching I can be at first or in the outfield. That helps with the new roster changes being made and the need for utility guys.”

The desire to play at the next level began freshman year of high school for Martel.

“I was always a hockey guy, but once I played high school baseball and saw my potential compared to others I saw I was more likely to play college baseball than college hockey,” the 21st-ranked junior in New England explained.

Improvement played a big part in making that happen.

“A lot of it came in the weight room,” Martel said about getting better. “My skills and athletic ability were there, but the weight room helped improve my power, exit velo and arm strength. It helped a lot.”

Assistance during his baseball journey to Rutgers came from coaches Jason Leftkowitz, Max Hermann and Todd Matthewson during a recruiting process that “was good come Aug. 1” according to Martel.

“After that it was quiet for two weeks so I followed up and reached back out to schools,” Martel related. “It was so stressful for two weeks, but then I relaxed. Prep Baseball helped a lot with getting SEC schools that reached out. They saw me at the Future Games and would have never seen me otherwise.”

The chance to play in the Big 10 brings a smile to the top-rated 2026 catcher in Connecticut.

“I’m really excited for it,” Martel said. “It’s a really good conference, especially with the additions (bringing in new schools like USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington). I kind of like traveling.”

Martel is confident he can make an impact at the university located just 25 minutes from home.

“I’ll bring a good guy that’s a really hard worker,” Martel explained. “My speed isn’t a bad attribute, but I’m working on that and my arm strength. Hopefully, I’ll help bring some championships to the program.”

It was a memorable feeling once a commitment became official.

“There was a relief of stress,” the fifth-ranked 2026 in Connecticut admitted. “A lot of schools called, but not a lot reached back.”

Business or finance are potential majors for Martel, a 3.8 student at Canterbury who is ready for what lies ahead at college.

“I’m looking forward to the really good baseball and really good development they have there,” Martel concluded. “I’m just excited for it all.”