Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Saluki Baseball Conversation | Logan Blackfan
12/10/2017 | 8:19:00 | Baseball
Senior first baseman Logan Blackfan enters his senior year as already the program's career doubles record holder. We sat down with him to discuss the record, turning the program around, the newcomers, a more.Â
How did you end up at SIU?
Honestly, I hadn't heard of SIU. When I saw Illinois, I assumed it was far away. I'm from Memphis, Tennessee. After looking into it, I saw it wasn't very far away. The basketball arena and football stadium looked cool, and I knew they were building a new baseball field, so I thought it would be a great place to go to. I came up and fell in love with it. I love the outdoors, hunting and fishing, so this was a perfect fit. A lot of my buddies enjoy doing those things, too. Everything fell into place. I like the coaches and I liked what they were trying to do with the program.Â
What was your freshman year like?Â
There was a big sophomore class ahead of us, so the entire team was young. We wanted to win, but we didn't know what to expect. We didn't have high expectations like we have recently. We had fun with it, but it was one of those things that was tough. We knew we had to go through that to bounce back, and that's what we did. It was an eye-opener. It's your freshman year of college and you win 12 games. Some guys left, but the majority of us stayed, and it ended up paying off. We bounced back and now we have a lot to look forward to.Â
After that 12-win season, take us through the process of going through that offseason and into the next year, when you won 31 games.
Once our last game (of 2015) happened, we put it behind us. We knew how good we could be. We knew how good we were going to be. We had a lot of talent on that team. We all knew that we were ready to get back to work that next season. We learned how to play together and as a team. Everyone knew what their part was, and everyone got it done. We made huge strides. And that's what we have to do this year, too. We don't need to put too much pressure on ourselves. We didn't have many expectations going into my sophomore year, and we wanted to prove ourselves. This year, we can do the same thing.
Personally, you had a big year in 2016. Was that something you expected from yourself?
Looking back, it's crazy how fast times goes. I know that I have the potential to be that kind of player. I proved that during that sophomore season. I had some rough patches, but I overcame them. During my junior season, I had some good games here or there, but I couldn't keep it going. When I had a bad game, it would affect me more than when I had a good game. I put way too much pressure on myself to bounce back from the bad games. I worked hard, but it didn't work out. All of the sudden, the season was over and there was nothing I could do about it. But I'm here now, and I get to finish school and graduate. I wouldn't want it any other way. I would love to play baseball at the next level, but we have some business to take care of first. It's going to be great graduating and letting everything take care of itself.Â
After you had the biggest turnaround in the nation from 2015-16, there were huge expectations last year. What was that like?
We embraced it. We knew we were good, and we tried not to let that get to us. We had a chance to do big things. Some of us, including myself, maybe let the expectations cripple us. We didn't want it to affect us, but we would get down and we wouldn't fight as hard as we did sophomore year. My sophomore year, we were never out of a game. We were always coming back because we'd been down for the past two years. It was easy to come back. Last year, when we were down, we couldn't push through it because we were supposed to be winning anyway. We didn't have a terrible season; but after sophomore season, it wasn't as good as it should have been. That's how it goes sometimes.Â
You were a part of that core group that essentially was all together for three-straight seasons. What's it like with some of those guys gone and new players in the mix?
It's definitely different. I enjoy it. I loved playing with those guys for three years, but I'm excited to see how the new group of guys can help us. I feel like it will be a fun year. We have so much depth. I guarantee you Hendu has no idea who is going to play right now. Everybody showed what they could do in the fall, and only so many people can play. It will be a year full of competition, and everyone will get their opportunities. I'm excited to build off that.Â
What's it like to be a senior leader on the team?
It's weird to think I'm a senior. Honestly, sometimes I forget about it. I'm just a guy playing with his team. I like leading by example. I'm not a super-vocal guy when it comes to leadership, but I love working hard. I want my actions to speak for me. We have a few veteran guys on the team that will help lead. We know what we're capable of and what the coaches expect; we just have to get the new guys on board.Â
In your hometown last season, you beat Memphis with a two-run double and then a diving catch, both in the ninth inning. How special was that?
I know a lot of guys on the team and everyone in the area. A lot of my friends came out and watched. It definitely meant a lot to do that, especially there. It was a great feeling, and it was special to do that for the team.Â
What do you see from the new guys?
A lot of fast guys. We're going to have a lot of speed on the field. Everything I've seen, whether it's the freshmen or the JuCo guys, we have a ton of talent. I have confidence in all of them. It's a new group of faces. We still have some old guys, so it's not a complete transformation of Saluki Baseball, but it will be different than these past few years.Â
The schedule is out. What are you excited about?
UC Irvine. I don't think a team from over this way has played a high-end team like that at home. They're a well-known team.Â
Coach LaRue was a volunteer assistant last season and was promoted to full-time this season. What does he bring to the team?
He brings a lot of energy. He's a positive-energy guy. He was quiet last year but got more involved as the season went along. I couldn't ask more from him. He's helped me a lot and put a lot of confidence in all our guys. He has a lot of confidence in us. I'm excited to see how the season goes, hitters-wise, because he's been great for us.Â
You have already broken the school's doubles record. Congrats on a huge accomplishment.Â
That was the high note in a struggle of a season. To accomplish that was something special. My family was there, so it was cool to get it done in front of them. I have to build on that and put it out of reach. The more doubles I hit, the more games we'll win.Â
How did you end up at SIU?
Honestly, I hadn't heard of SIU. When I saw Illinois, I assumed it was far away. I'm from Memphis, Tennessee. After looking into it, I saw it wasn't very far away. The basketball arena and football stadium looked cool, and I knew they were building a new baseball field, so I thought it would be a great place to go to. I came up and fell in love with it. I love the outdoors, hunting and fishing, so this was a perfect fit. A lot of my buddies enjoy doing those things, too. Everything fell into place. I like the coaches and I liked what they were trying to do with the program.Â
What was your freshman year like?Â
There was a big sophomore class ahead of us, so the entire team was young. We wanted to win, but we didn't know what to expect. We didn't have high expectations like we have recently. We had fun with it, but it was one of those things that was tough. We knew we had to go through that to bounce back, and that's what we did. It was an eye-opener. It's your freshman year of college and you win 12 games. Some guys left, but the majority of us stayed, and it ended up paying off. We bounced back and now we have a lot to look forward to.Â
After that 12-win season, take us through the process of going through that offseason and into the next year, when you won 31 games.
Once our last game (of 2015) happened, we put it behind us. We knew how good we could be. We knew how good we were going to be. We had a lot of talent on that team. We all knew that we were ready to get back to work that next season. We learned how to play together and as a team. Everyone knew what their part was, and everyone got it done. We made huge strides. And that's what we have to do this year, too. We don't need to put too much pressure on ourselves. We didn't have many expectations going into my sophomore year, and we wanted to prove ourselves. This year, we can do the same thing.
Personally, you had a big year in 2016. Was that something you expected from yourself?
Looking back, it's crazy how fast times goes. I know that I have the potential to be that kind of player. I proved that during that sophomore season. I had some rough patches, but I overcame them. During my junior season, I had some good games here or there, but I couldn't keep it going. When I had a bad game, it would affect me more than when I had a good game. I put way too much pressure on myself to bounce back from the bad games. I worked hard, but it didn't work out. All of the sudden, the season was over and there was nothing I could do about it. But I'm here now, and I get to finish school and graduate. I wouldn't want it any other way. I would love to play baseball at the next level, but we have some business to take care of first. It's going to be great graduating and letting everything take care of itself.Â
After you had the biggest turnaround in the nation from 2015-16, there were huge expectations last year. What was that like?
We embraced it. We knew we were good, and we tried not to let that get to us. We had a chance to do big things. Some of us, including myself, maybe let the expectations cripple us. We didn't want it to affect us, but we would get down and we wouldn't fight as hard as we did sophomore year. My sophomore year, we were never out of a game. We were always coming back because we'd been down for the past two years. It was easy to come back. Last year, when we were down, we couldn't push through it because we were supposed to be winning anyway. We didn't have a terrible season; but after sophomore season, it wasn't as good as it should have been. That's how it goes sometimes.Â
You were a part of that core group that essentially was all together for three-straight seasons. What's it like with some of those guys gone and new players in the mix?
It's definitely different. I enjoy it. I loved playing with those guys for three years, but I'm excited to see how the new group of guys can help us. I feel like it will be a fun year. We have so much depth. I guarantee you Hendu has no idea who is going to play right now. Everybody showed what they could do in the fall, and only so many people can play. It will be a year full of competition, and everyone will get their opportunities. I'm excited to build off that.Â
What's it like to be a senior leader on the team?
It's weird to think I'm a senior. Honestly, sometimes I forget about it. I'm just a guy playing with his team. I like leading by example. I'm not a super-vocal guy when it comes to leadership, but I love working hard. I want my actions to speak for me. We have a few veteran guys on the team that will help lead. We know what we're capable of and what the coaches expect; we just have to get the new guys on board.Â
In your hometown last season, you beat Memphis with a two-run double and then a diving catch, both in the ninth inning. How special was that?
I know a lot of guys on the team and everyone in the area. A lot of my friends came out and watched. It definitely meant a lot to do that, especially there. It was a great feeling, and it was special to do that for the team.Â
What do you see from the new guys?
A lot of fast guys. We're going to have a lot of speed on the field. Everything I've seen, whether it's the freshmen or the JuCo guys, we have a ton of talent. I have confidence in all of them. It's a new group of faces. We still have some old guys, so it's not a complete transformation of Saluki Baseball, but it will be different than these past few years.Â
The schedule is out. What are you excited about?
UC Irvine. I don't think a team from over this way has played a high-end team like that at home. They're a well-known team.Â
Coach LaRue was a volunteer assistant last season and was promoted to full-time this season. What does he bring to the team?
He brings a lot of energy. He's a positive-energy guy. He was quiet last year but got more involved as the season went along. I couldn't ask more from him. He's helped me a lot and put a lot of confidence in all our guys. He has a lot of confidence in us. I'm excited to see how the season goes, hitters-wise, because he's been great for us.Â
You have already broken the school's doubles record. Congrats on a huge accomplishment.Â
That was the high note in a struggle of a season. To accomplish that was something special. My family was there, so it was cool to get it done in front of them. I have to build on that and put it out of reach. The more doubles I hit, the more games we'll win.Â
Players Mentioned
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