homer and four RBIs through the Shockers’ first three
games.
The number drives Logan Sorensen all kinds of crazy, but he can’t escape it. It’s on page 44 of the Wichita State baseball guide and again on 52. Right there in black and white, for all to see.
The three measly digits are on his bio at goshockers.com and appeared in a pre-season story in The Wichita Eagle. It’s seemingly everywhere, this .306 that he posted for a batting average last year.
At the very mention of the stat, the senior first baseman shakes his head and sighs. A .306? “To be honest,” he says, “it makes me sick to even look at it.” But this season, he adds, “There’s absolutely no reason I can’t have an unbelievable year.”
In 2003, Sorensen started out hot, belting six home runs in the first 22 games. After that, he managed only two more homers for WSU, which finished 49-27 and made its 21st NCAA tournament appearance.
Although a nagging injury to his right wrist hampered his swing most of the season, Sorensen still performed well enough to earn All-Missouri Valley Conference first-team honors. He also admits that he fell in love with the long ball and too often tried to hit tape-measure homers.
“I think, maybe subconsciously, I was trying to yank too many balls out of the park,” he says. “Drew Moffitt (who hit 18 HRs) is my best friend and my roommate, and he hits right behind me. He hits some towering shots, so we always compete that way. This year, I decided I just want to be on base every time he comes up. If I hit a ball out, fine, but I want to get five hits a game.”
To accomplish that, Sorensen is changing his approach and his left-handed stroke. Instead of trying to pull every ball, he plans to show more patience.
Shocker coach Gene Stephenson praises Sorensen’s defense and expects his offensive numbers to improve: “I believe he will be one of the premier hitters in this part of the country.”
Sorensen’s adjustments seem to be working. Through three games, all Shocker victories, he was hitting .417. “I feel like there’s no limit to how high my batting average can be,” he says. “There’s a possibility for me to hit .400 and beyond.” That attitude, he adds, is shared by his teammates.
Preseason talk focused on WSU’s hitting struggles a year ago, when the team averaged 6.47 runs per game, the lowest in school history. Such days are over, Sorensen predicts: “This year we have a confidence about us. We know we’re on our way to Omaha (site of the College World Series). We know we have the team. We know we have the talent. Now, we have the attitude, too.”
