Prep Baseball Report

Top 10 Stories of 2013: #3 Story of the Year



By Greg Williams
WV Director of Scouting

Top 10 stories of 2013:  #3

Goodnight commits to Penn State 
- Note: Stories are in their original form from when they were written. This story ran on October 24 shortly after the Logan Goodnight became the first player in the West Virginia Class of 2016 to announce a college commitment.

Early commitments among top prospects in West Virginia happen infrequently. To date 2014 OF Luca Fuscardo (Kent State) and Tate Brock (West Virginia) are the only prospects in the state to make early commitments to Division I programs heading into the 2014 high school season.

Logan GoodnightThat list grew by one as of yesterday. SS/RHP Logan Goodnight (The Linsly School), ranked No. 1 in the WV Class of 2016, verbally announced his commitment to continue his education and baseball career at Penn State University. The 6-1, 165-pound prospect hit .371 as a freshman in 2013. Goodnight was also named to the WWBA 16U All-Tournament team in July as a member of the Chandler Baseball program. During the course of the tournament he went 6-for-16 with four doubles and four RBI. Goodnight is recently participated in the WWBA Underclass World Series in Fort Myers, Florida.

Prep Baseball Report had the opportunity to talk with Goodnight about why he chose Penn State and the recruiting process that led to his decision.  

 

PBR: Where have you decided to attend college and why did you make this choice?

Goodnight: I have chosen to commit to Penn State University. First of all, I would like to thank Coach Mark Helsel and Chandler Baseball for all they have done for me. This would not have been possible without them. Coach Helsel told me what I needed to do to get to this level. I followed Chandler’s plan and worked hard, this is a dream come true. Penn State is a great fit for me, and the academics are outstanding. I really like Coach Cooper and all of the Penn State baseball coaches and the direction they will be taking this team. Coach Cooper and his staff made me feel really comfortable and the facilities there are as good as or better than anywhere I have been. I am very excited to be a Nittany Lion.

PBR: What other schools were you considering?

Goodnight: I was also considering Liberty, VCU, Maryland, Cincinnati, Louisville, Kentucky, Miami, North Carolina, South Carolina, Clemson and Vanderbilt.

PBR: Was distance from home a factor in your decision?

Goodnight: Yes. I love that my family will be able to watch me play. The Big 10 Conference has a lot of schools close to my hometown of Wheeling, WV.

PBR: Where did the coaches first see you? How did your relationship develop with their coaching staff?

Goodnight: Coach Brian Anderson first saw me at the Chandler Mini-Camp at the University of Pittsburgh. I visited the school and they continued to watch me play at various tournaments throughout the summer and fall.

PBR: Who do you play for in the summer and what was your most memorable experience from this past summer?

Goodnight: I play for Chandler Baseball. I played in the Perfect Game WWBA National Championship in Marietta, Georgia. My Chandler Team had a great tournament, and I was selected to the All-Tournament team.  

PBR: Now that you have your commitment out of the way, what are your goals as a player over the next three years of high school baseball?

Goodnight: I play for a great Linsly Baseball team Coached by Jay Cartwright. Since Linsly is a private school, we can’t play for a state championship, so our goal each year is to win the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference. We won the OVAC championship this past year, and I want to continue to contribute any way I can to help Linsly win the conference. As a player, I need to work harder than ever on my game and continue getting bigger, faster and stronger.

PBR: How did Prep Baseball Report aid you in gaining exposure as a potential college baseball recruit?

Goodnight:  By listing me as the No. 1 prospect in the West Virginia Class of 2016, Prep Baseball Report really helped me to get my name out there to prospective programs. I would like to thank the PBR staff for their support. They do a great job of getting players exposed to college programs.

additional WV news:

 
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