Hitmen have green light, all the way to Myrtle Beach

When it comes to hitting, it's easier to stop than it is to start.

Ohio Hitmen batters never stop starting. They head to the weeklong Ripken Experience Myrtle Beach in the 9U division in July.

Hitmen is the only team from Ohio among those from across the country.

"A lot of people are smarter than me, but it's been proven it takes more time to start a swing than to stop a swing," coach Trent Logan said. "Rather than see a pitch and react, we approach every pitch as a strike. Step low and react.

"And then, maybe stop. If it's not a strike, stop. We're swinging early in counts. We try to make sure we're in the driver's seat on pitch counts."

The roster includes Oak Harbor's TJ Logan, Crew Cummings, Blake Martin, Bowen Baumgartner, Bo Guerin and Jaxon Eilrich, and Clyde's Cooper Ahlgrim. Genoa's Luke Szych, Aaron Routson and Stephan Pennington, and Rossford's Blake Demory.

The Hitmen have been together for three years under Logan.

"It's all down to team chemistry," Logan said. "A lot of them started as Rockets. We built a travel team. Getting that first year under their belts and gelling with me as coach. They're learning so much at this age. Baseball is a game of trust."

Logan talks about resilience attacking the plate. Green light hitting.

"It's the same thing if they're in high school or eight or nine," he said. "Take a big swing. Attack mentality until it's not a strike. It's an offensive state of mind. It leads us to hitting with more power to all fields and reducing our strikeouts."

Batters don't think about whether to swing before each pitch.

"We plan to swing at every pitch," Logan said. "We're not getting beat on fastballs or hitting weak ground balls. A running back knows where the play is run. It's planned. He knows that. He hits the ground running. Same with hitting.

"We expect to hit."

Shortstop TJ Logan leads the team in RBIs, average and runs. His defense is an asset as well.

He has the best contact rate, bats third and fronts the rotation.

"He's a competitor on the mound," Logan said. "The pressure doesn't seem to get to him. He throws strikes and he throws hard. He plays the game the right way, with 100% effort all the time."

Fellow righty Szych plays shortstop when Logan pitches, although Szych bats left-handed. He plays third most games.

"He commands the ball well," Logan said. "He keeps it low in the zone and throws hard. He gives the defense a chance to make plays. He has a calm demeanor when he pitches."

Martin bats cleanup and plays first base. He pitches a little.

"He's very strong," Logan said. "He has raw power. He takes reps at home. That's another thing that sets us apart, our kids are working."

Demory thought he'd play third base. He'd never played catcher before this season.

"It's hard in the offseason to improve catching," Logan said. "He worked to become one of the top catchers in the area. He learned to block, to transfer, to frame. He evolved at a critical position. It's impressive. There's so much to do, we don't have a catcher coach.

"When the rubber hit the road and outside of practice, you say 'Wow, where did this come from?' You find out he was working at home. When you see a 9-year-old block the ball at a consistent level, it's impressive."

Second baseman Cummings batted second in the order to start the season.

"Baseball is a game of ups and downs," Logan said. "He started hot, then had a slump. He rebounded well. He worked his tail off at home and he's up to third [offensive numbers]. He earned the two-hole back. He makes it easier for the three- and four-guys to hit him around."

There are baseball and softball teams out of Logan's RedShed facility, including five for baseball. There were 120 batters in a hitting league last winter.

Logan played two years varsity baseball, before graduating from Fremont Ross in 2007. He was an assistant coach at Clyde for two years.

He coaches his youngest son's coach pitch team.

Hitmen (32-16) won three tournaments this season. The Northwest Ohio Amateur Baseball League tournament is next week.

It lost in extra innings to finish second at two tourneys this season. It seems everybody has come through when the team needed a play at some point.

"Any day a different kid might step up," Logan said. "They're doing a good job as young kids to seize the opportunity because of how hard they work. That's why I'm comfortable taking these kids to an experience like we are at Ripken.

"It's a next-man-up mentality. We have 11 solid kids. It's a team effort."

It finished first in the league in the regular season last year and lost a heartbreaker in the tourney. It was second at several tournaments.

It won one tournament and finished second in the only events it entered two years ago

"My job is to grow baseball for youth in the area to play at the highest level and deliver positive experiences," Logan said. "[Ripken is] special for the kids. They're treated like major leaguers for a week. They'll never forget.

"It's fostering love for the greatest sport in the world."

mhorn@gannett.com

419-307-4892

Twitter: @MatthewHornNH

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Hitmen head to Cal Ripken tourney with feet stuck on accelerator