Senior shows versatility in new role for Panthers
By: Bob Nuse
Logan Laughlin was hoping this would be the year he would get a chance to see what he could do as a pitcher for the Princeton Day school baseball team.
For Laughlin, there were always two obstacles in his way. For one, he was the Panthers’ starting catcher, and a pretty good one. Secondly, there were always pitchers ahead of him on the depth chart. But this year, both of those obstacles have been removed. Not only did PDS graduate several pitchers, but with the addition this year of Mark Madden, Laughlin isn’t the only catcher on the squad.
"It’s something I’ve always liked to do," Laughlin said of pitching more often. "I asked the coach if I could pitch more this year. I pitched some as the closer last year and we graduated our main pitchers, so I thought I would get a chance to pitch a little more."
Not only has Laughlin helped the Panthers as a pitcher, earning the win in their season-opener against Rutgers Prep, but he’s also been as steady as usual at the plate.
"He’s been hitting the ball well and he’s pitching well," PDS coach Bruce Devlin said. "He’s been a real workhorse for us on the mound. And in the field, I can put him just about anywhere and he’ll do a great job for us. His game is sound. He’s a catcher by trade, but he’s been playing all over. And he’s a pitcher, not just a thrower. He’s got a curve, a split, a changeup and a nice fastball.
"He can play third, short, second, basically anywhere we put him. And now that we have Mark Madden, who can also catch, we’re able to use Logan more as a pitcher. It’s nice to have two guys like that at the catcher position. We actually have three with Sam Hamlin, who can also catch."
The Panthers opened the season with wins over Rutgers Prep and Timothy Christian, and were scheduled to face Pennington on Monday. A win in that game would have PDS off to its best start in years.
"Hopefully we can keep going," Devlin said. "We have a nice team. It’s a great group of boys. They have talent, but there is also something special about them. These are kids that want to work and love the game. A lot of it is the sophomore class. They’re a special group and I think the rest of the team feeds off on how much they love the game."
Laughlin can sense this team could be something special as well. And whether he’s helping make the season special by contributing on the mound, at the plate, or behind the plate, he just wants to do whatever he can.
"This is probably the deepest our team has been in terms of pitching," the Montgomery resident said. "If we can start making the plays in the infield, we feel like we can do real well. We’ve been having a little bit of trouble making the plays in the infield so far, but if we can get that together, we can have a real good season."
Laughlin will be one of the keys to that successful season. And Devlin is glad to have him on board.
"He’s been with us for four years," Devlin said. "He came in as a freshman and played some, but he really took off as a sophomore. He played the whole year for us behind the plate that year. He knows the game, that’s what is great about him. He takes the game real seriously. He’ll play in college somewhere, we’re just not sure where. He’s worked real hard on his pitching and he has really come along. He pitched a lot last summer and in the fall. He’s legit. And he’s a great kid."
And a diverse one. In addition to being a player who can play anywhere on the field, he’s quite talented off the field as well. Laughlin is the son of a professional artist and a good artist in his own right.
"That’s my summer job," he said. "It’s different than what most people would do for a summer job. But it’s something I’ve done my whole life. I’ve always liked to draw, ever since I was young."
And he’s liked to play baseball ever since he was young. The more he pitches this year, the less he’ll get to catch. But it may also help him with his goal of playing college baseball.
"One of the downsides is if I pitch one day, I can’t really catch the next day or two," Laughlin said. "But we have another catcher this year, Mark Madden, and he does a real good job. So that has helped. I usually play second base when I’m not catching.
"It looks like I will probably go to Rollins College. If I go there I will try to make the team as a walk on. I haven’t talked to the coach a lot and they have a good team, so it might be tough to do. That’s why this year has been good for me. I’ve had a chance to show that I can pitch."

