From the Vault: Logan Hofmann

By IAN WILSON

He’s a bit young to be a Hall of Famer, let alone someone who has been recognized as a two-time inductee.

But 26-year-old Logan Hofmann – a mound monster from Muenster, Saskatchewan – has the baseball achievements to back up his induction into both the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and the Colby Community College Hall of Fame.

The right-handed relief pitcher, now a coach in his home province, was an outstanding bullpen option for the Moose Jaw Miller Express in 2018, when he went 4-1 with 21 strikeouts and a 2.51 earned run average (ERA) over eight games and 14-plus innings in the Western Major Baseball League (WMBL) that summer.

That same year and again in 2019, Hofmann was impressing baseball watchers as a member of the Colby Trojans in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC).

The 5-foot-10 pitcher set a conference record with 230 strikeouts while going 16-7 with three saves in 175.1 innings and 35 appearances. He was named the 2019 Jayhawk Conference Pitcher of the Year, and received first-team all-conference and all-region honours with the Trojans.

“I was only there for two years, but I tell people all the time, it was the best two years of my life. Some of the relationships I made there, some of my buddies I made playing baseball there, I still talk to every single day,” Hofmann told Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast.

“I would say that’s probably the best thing about that place is how close everybody gets in such a short amount of time.”

The Colby Community College Hall of Fame announcement came in October and it was an honour that caught Hofmann by surprise.

“I didn’t know I was nominated or how that works … but it’s pretty awesome news to receive,” said Hofmann, who learned of the recognition via an email from the school.

“I saw it and I kind of was caught off guard, obviously, but it’s a pretty cool honour to be inducted into my college’s Hall of Fame. I didn’t expect it and it’s a pretty cool honour to receive, for sure.”

Hofmann arrived at Colby Community College as a two-way player, with ambitions of suiting up as both a catcher and a pitcher, but head coach Ryan Carter directed him to focus on pitching right away.

“I put my catcher’s gear under my bed until I went home for Christmas, so I was a little caught off guard and obviously that turned out to be a good decision,” noted Hofmann.

“I remember the first time I was there, I was like, all right, I get to play college baseball and it was one of, I think, maybe two offers I had, so I was just grateful for the opportunity he gave me. And I knew when I went there that I was just going to work hard and do everything right … school, in the gym, on the field, off the field, and see what happens.”

What happened was a successful collegiate baseball career that set him on a path to professional baseball.

“I didn’t think it would be this long of a baseball career. I didn’t think it would get me into the Hall of Fame of Colby either, or some of the other stuff that happened with setting the conference strikeout record. If you’d have told me that my first day on campus, I probably would have laughed and said, I just hope I throw twenty innings as a freshman,” he said.

Following his time with the Trojans, Hofmann was taken in the 35th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. He opted not to sign with the Cards and instead pitched in the Cape Cod League with the Falmouth Commodores. Hofmann also pitched in the league’s All-Star Game.

In 2020, Hofmann attended Northwestern State University of Louisiana and he was selected once again in the MLB Draft, this time by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 5th round.

The 138th overall pick in the draft signed on with the Bucs as a 20-year-old and earned a signing bonus of $125,000.

“We are excited to add Logan to the Pirates organization,” general manager Ben Cherington said in a statement.

“Logan has performed well at every level of amateur baseball and has a strong combination of stuff, control, feel for pitching and competitiveness. We look forward to seeing Logan in a Pirates uniform.”

His pro career began with the Bradenton Marauders of the Low-A Southeast circuit in 2021 where he appeared in 22 games and made 13 starts. Hofmann posted a 6-4 record, a 3.59 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 82.2 innings and helped the Marauders win a league championship.

From there, he was promoted to the High-A South Atlantic League, where he took the bump with the Greensboro Grasshoppers in North Carolina for two years. Hofmann was used as a reliever during those seasons and in 36 games and 46-plus innings he registered 31 Ks and an 8.10 ERA.

He finished the 2023 year playing independent baseball with Aigles de Trois-Rivieres of the Frontier League, a place he returned to for the 2024 campaign.

Hofmann took his talents to the international stage and traveled to Europe in 2025, where he went 9-1 in the German Baseball League. His team, the Heidenheim Heidekopfe, claimed the Euro Cup and the German championship and Hofmann earned top pitching honours.

While in Germany, Hofmann learned of his induction into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame.

“It was pretty cool. Again, I didn’t expect it,” said Hofmann.

“Obviously, being from Saskatchewan, I take a lot of pride in baseball in Saskatchewan, so to be inducted already into the Sask Baseball Hall of Fame is a really cool honour. I wasn’t able to make it to the ceremony, but my grandpa actually accepted on my behalf.”

Now back in Saskatchewan, Hofmann has taken on a role as a pitching coach with Berries Academy in Saskatoon.

“Just giving back to the players in this province is awesome. All of our players at the academy are from Saskatchewan or Saskatoon or the surrounding area, so that’s awesome as well,” said Hofmann, who also serves as the head coach of the 18U East Central Red Sox in Muenster.

With the academy, Hofmann has had the opportunity to work alongside coaches and players with the summer collegiate Saskatoon Berries, who captured the 2026 Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) championship.

A big part of that title-winning roster included a trio of arms from Muenster, including Adam Korte, Merek Yeager and Dallen Rude.

“It’s awesome to see those three guys be able to bring a championship to the Berries organization,” said Hofmann.

“I just remember those three guys, I’d be home in the offseason and they were in grades ten and eleven, and we would just head down to the field and just throw bullpens and kind of pick apart different things, just go out there and play baseball and have fun on the little field in Muenster there. So, to be able to see them move on to play in college and be a big part of the Berries championship is awesome to see.”

Hofmann expects to see even more success for ball players from Saskatchewan as he shifts his focus from playing to coaching.

“Now these guys having the opportunity to play at these academies and practice year round … it’s definitely changed a lot in that sense, and then obviously, just everybody is bigger, faster, stronger than they were fifteen or twenty years ago in the game of baseball. It’s changed a lot and a lot of guys are throwing harder,” he said.

“It’s possible for Saskatchewan guys to have a chance to play pro ball and be first-round draft picks.”

Hofmann has also shown that it’s possible for them to have Hall of Fame careers.

(This article is part of the Western Canadian Baseball League’s “From the Vault” series, which focuses on WCBL alumni and is sponsored by Sentinel Storage)