ESSEXVILLE - With 13 schools in the mix, Logan Hugo had a lot to weigh before making a college decision. The stay-at-home order due to COVID-19 did not help.

“Some of the schools wanted to see me in the spring,” related the Essexville Garber junior.

Offers were out there from a number of schools including Eastern Michigan, Toledo, Butler and Wright State.

“The biggest thing is I wanted to go somewhere I would fit in academically and with baseball,” said Hugo, a 3.85 student considering business or finance as a major. “Another thing is that I wanted to go somewhere I could go and play.”

While weighing all his options, the 19th-ranked 2021 in the state continued to go back to one school.

“Eastern offered me in the winter,” Hugo reflected. “I feel that there I would get that opportunity to play right away. They told me if I continue progressing the way I have been and put in the work, when I get on campus I’ll have a chance for the job.”

There was more that was admired about EMU by Hugo, who was one of the standouts at the PBR Future Games for Team Michigan last August.

“I really liked how the coaches at Eastern were younger,” Hugo noted. “It was easy and fun to talk to them. I definitely see the program going in the right direction and I want to be part of building that when I get there.”

A commitment came with, admittedly, a little stress that goes along with it.

“I was thinking about waiting until summer but with everything going on, even if I waited and some others came into the picture, I felt Eastern would still be right up there,” Hugo explained. “So I made the decision and I’m 100 percent confident with it.

“I talked to all the others before I did,” Hugo continued about announcing his decision. “I called them all up and let them know what I was thinking and I called them right after the decision as well.”

It brought an end to the tension involved in the recruiting process.

“It was very humbling but a lot of fun having all those coaches and schools with an interest in you joining their program,” Hugo said. “You felt wanted.”

The feeling afterward brought solace.

“It was definitely a relief, but it was fun,” pointed out the fifth-ranked uncommitted junior at the time of his decision to attend the Mid-American Conference school. “There were some stressful times in the process, and the two weeks prior to when I committed there was a lot of stress. Should I make a commitment or wait it out and have schools see me play in the summer? I just felt Eastern was the right decision and after I made it I felt the weight lifting off my shoulders.”

Now the 6-2 212-pounder, ranked fourth in Michigan among 2021 outfielders, looks forward to continuing to make strides in his game.

“I’ve got a weight room in my garage and I've been working out there every day,” Hugo said. “I go with my dad to the batting cages every day after he gets off work. I’ve also got a (20-year-old) sister who’s been catching long toss with me in my backyard, so I am getting a lot of work in so that I’m ready when we’re able to play.”

But the desire to improve never ends.

“I need to be more fluid with everything,” Hugo explained about his plans for improvement. “I feel I’m a little raw, so I’m working on smoothing everything out from a fielding perspective and at the plate.

“I feel I’m making a lot of strides,” Hugo added. “At the plate I’ve focused more on gap-to-gap and made a few tweeks in my stance to be more linear with my swing. In the outfield I’m working on routes on grounders and being the most efficient I can with my crow hop.”

It has the 19-year-old excited about his future.

“When I step on campus I want to be as clean as possible and ready to go,” Hugo said. “I want to be the best I can be when I get there.”

With a 6.76 time in the 60 to go along with a 101 exit velocity and 90 position velo, Hugo admits having his eyes beyond college.

“That’s another reason I liked the idea of going to Eastern,” Hugo said in reference to playing professionally. “I feel the coaches at Eastern can develop me and get me ready to play pro ball. That’s the ultimate goal and I feel they can develop me the best to achieve that.”