Central Always Attractive To 'Overlooked' Wenzel

MIDDLETOWN, Ct. - Logan Wenzel has had a sense of being under-appreciated as a baseball player.

“I’ve always been overlooked,” the Middletown senior reflected. “I’ve always been a bigger kid and been playing two years younger than everyone else. But being big, I looked like I was their age.

“Now all of a sudden I’m still in high school and throwing 84. So, I think colleges saw me as something I wasn’t.”

That changed at the New England Top Prospect Games II event in early July.

“I had a big velocity jump at Xaverian,” Wenzel said in reference to the PBR event at the private high school in Westwood, Ma. “Trevor (Brown), my coach, knows guys at Central and he knew I was very interested in them.”

When the 6-1 190-pound left-hander hit 84 on the gun, the PBR Connecticut Director of Scouting took action.

“As soon as I hit that number he gave a call to Pat Hall,” Wenzel noted about the Central pitching coach. “On the way home we talked and he said he’s seen me around and wanted me to come down soon. I came down to an offer. It was a quick process. It only took a couple weeks.”

Others took interest as well before the 21st-ranked 2021 LHP in New England made a commitment to Central Connecticut State.

“I literally went from one D-III school showing interest to 20 schools right after Xaverian,” said Wenzel, who at his previous PBR event - the CT/RI Pitcher Analysis in March - was listed as a sleeper in the 2021 class of pitchers..

But Central is a school that has always been attractive to Wenzel, who turns 18 on Aug. 29.

“When I was younger I was taken to a lot of showcases and played a lot of games at Central,” Wenzel pointed out. “I was always two or three years young than everybody else. I remember they came to a game to watch a friend and that’s when they saw me, I think for the first time.”  

Central became a big fan of the 11th-rated uncommitted New England 2021 southpaw prior to deciding on the Northeast Conference school as a college home.

“They like how I work at a fast tempo and attack hitters,” Wenzel explained. “I have this gamer aspect to me. I like to think I can beat anyone.”

That carries over to the team in the eyes of the 206th-rated New England senior.

“I feel I bring energy to a team that you can’t ignore,” Wenzel noted. “When I came into high school as a ninth grader we improved to 10 wins. We went from a joke to let’s work together with one common goal.

“I feel I can bring that leadership quality right away to Central, even as a freshman.”

Hard work has helped the left-hander increase his fastball velocity from 78-79 last year to 85 at the present.

“I’ve been staying hungry in the gym and working with Trevor building up my arm and working on small details that I glanced over in the past,” Wenzel related. “But I’m not going to get satisfied just by the fact I’ve committed to a D-I school. I need to keep the same mentality that maybe I’m overlooked. I need to stay hungry and keep pushing. I can’t get complacent.”

After all, Wenzel has had a goal of getting to the next level for a long time.

“I’ve always wanted to play college baseball,” Wenzel explained. “I think that’s one of all younger kids’ dreams. Coming from a non-baseball family, everything I learned was from friends and coaches so it wasn’t as easy for me as those that grew up in a baseball family. I knew I had the talent to play college baseball being a lefty, I just wasn’t sure where.”

Help has made it a reality, with Bill Tobin, owner of the Generals travel team Wenzel first played on, and coaches Paul Radziewicz and Rick Murray major influences before Brown invested time in Wenzel.

“Trevor refined those skills and details I learned prior and made me into the high-end baseball player I want to be,” Wenzel said.

Now Wenzel looks forward to being a big contributor on the field at Central Connecticut State.

“I know it’s a winning team and (head) coach (Charlie) Hickey makes sure stuff gets done the right way,” Wenzel said. “I’m a hard worker and nobody is going to stop me.

“I’m super excited to step on campus as a player and a student,” added Wenzel, who carries a 4.0 GPA and is looking at a major in sports journalism or statistics. “I have a whole year to get better so I can shock the coaches when I get on the field.”