Sperry’s Logan McGuire
The journey to completing high school as a student-athlete can be riddled with unexpected challenges and obstacles to overcome. For Sperry High School’s Logan McGuire, those challenges came in the form of multiple injuries.
“Throughout my baseball journey, I’ve faced many setbacks. I dealt with growth plate separations in my shoulder a couple of times when I was younger, and then during my sophomore year, I fractured my elbow. I kept playing, not realizing it was fractured I was just pushing through. Over the summer, I had surgery to put screws in, remove scar tissue, shaved off part of my elbow and begin rehab,” McGuire said. “I was determined to come back strong for my junior year. In my first district game, I struck out 14 out of 15 batters, but then I felt a sharp pain. I had torn my UCL during that game. I was cleared to DH until I could have surgery. On April 4th of last year, I had Tommy John surgery, and fortunately, my ligament was only 75 percent torn, so they reattached it with a man-made suture. The surgery was successful, and the recovery time was shorter than expected.”
McGuire found strength in his faith.
Despite the progress, I began to wonder why all of this was happening to me. I was working hard, giving my best, and pushing for the next level, but it felt like I was constantly being knocked down. During this time, I started praying, reading the Bible, and going to church. I felt a shift, a real change. My arm was healing, I was throwing harder, and I felt myself growing closer to Jesus. I started to believe that adversity can bring us closer to God,” McGuire said. “I’m so grateful for Pastor Dave, my neighbor, who invited me to church, prayed for me, and checked in on me. Now, I’m not only going to church, but I’m also playing guitar on the praise and worship team, and I truly feel that Jesus has a plan for my life. So, through all the struggles, when I triumph, I will give all the glory to Jesus.”
“ ”A utility player for the Pirates, McGuire will pitch in district games and play any position needed when he’s not on the mound. The senior is setting high goals for the team and for himself this season.
“I’m focusing on improving my explosiveness and strength, especially in the positions and movements I often find myself in during a game. My goals for this season are to maintain an ERA below one, hit at least 10 home runs, and break the RBI record for Sperry,” said McGuire.
McGuire acknowledged the history of the program and what his teammates mean to him.
“There are always people I’m watching trying to pick up little things they do that I like. What makes Sperry baseball special to me is the tradition and pride that comes with being part of the program,” said McGuire.
McGuire plans to attend Tabor College next year where he will pursue a degree in accounting and continue playing baseball.
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