6/9 Baseball: Experienced, versatile pitching staff has Logan baseball riding a hot streak into state

By TODD SOMMERFELDT / La Crosse Tribune

Consider Austin Lubinsky the consistency and Tony Mueller the flash.

Both of the Logan High School pitchers can throw a baseball hard, and they represent a luxury for any baseball coach as experienced juniors.

Dan Schmidtknecht is, well, another pitcher. He won’t blow a pitch by a batter too often, but he can be just as effective as Lubinsky or Mueller. “I really don’t see myself as much of a pitcher,” Schmidtknecht said. “Tony and Austin can ring up the (radar) guns pretty high, but I just try to hit my spots and get guys out.

“I’ve done pretty well at keeping the ball on the ground and getting pop flies for our defense, which has played very well. Our defense is something we pride ourselves on.”

But it’s hard to overlook what the above trio has accomplished as a pitching staff. The Rangers (19-4) entered the season knowing that pitching would be a team strength, but expecting what it has accomplished this spring wouldn’t even be fair.

“We have the three of them, and we have Adam Kleman,” Logan coach Terry Curtis said. “Adam’s also done a tremendous job for us when we’ve needed him to.”

The Rangers, who play Madison Memorial (14-9) in a WIAA Division 1 state quarterfinal game in Grand Chute, Wis., at 1 p.m. Tuesday, haven’t benefitted from overpowering arms as much as they have from accurate ones.

Logan pitchers have walked 57 batters in 165 innings — an average of less than three per game — and posted a collective earned run average of 1.53. Opponents have averaged just 2.6 runs per game.

Lubinsky said the secret to all of that is pretty simple.

“We expect ourselves to throw strikes and get outs however we can,” Lubinsky said. “Coach always tells me before I go out there to go right after the batters, throw strikes, get ahead in the count and let the defense help.”

Lubinsky, a right-hander, has been the ace with his 8-0 record and 0.40 ERA. He has 48 strikeouts, 11 walks and 31 hits allowed in 52 1/3 innings. Curtis considers Lubinsky’s “hockey mentality” as a real benefit to his success. That mental toughness makes Lubinsky, a hockey player, a tough nut for any batter to crack.

“I remember one time when he went 3-0 to a batter,” said Schmidtknecht, an infielder when he doesn’t pitch. “He walked off the back of the mound, took off his hat and told me and Tony, ‘I’m still gonna strike the guy out.’

“Then, he went and struck him out.”

Mueller has been the flexible one. His starts are down — he threw a complete game in his only start — and he’s flourished in his role as a closer with three saves, a 5-1 record and an ERA of 1.14 over 43 innings.

He said that his new role is making him more effective at the end of the season. He entered Logan’s 7-5 sectional championship win over Baraboo in the first inning with his team on its way to a 4-0 hole. He completed the game and helped the Rangers get back to the state tournament for the first time since 2001.

“We knew we had two really good starters in Danny and Austin, and they are both great,” Mueller said. “When I was in Little League, I’d close, so we decided that I’d be a closer this year and start when I have to start.”

The strategy has worked perfectly so far.

Todd Sommerfeldt can be reached at (608) 791-8208 or todd.sommerfeldt@lee.net