After being selected in the 21st round by the San Francisco Giants, Georgia Southern’s Logan Baldwin will be leaving town to join the professional ranks instead of returning to Statesboro for his senior season.
    And as much as the Eagles would love to have Baldwin back in 2018, the centerfielder has done the work necessary to make it to the next level and leaves Eagle fans with plenty of fond memories.
    Baldwin racked up a handful of brilliant defensive plays that went viral on social media and one of his final swings as an Eagle - a grand slam in the ninth inning against UL Lafayette in this year’s Sun Belt tournament - will be on every GS Baseball highlight reel for the foreseeable future.
    But even with a year of eligibility remaining, when a lifelong dream knocks at the door, you have to answer.
    “I’ve been playing baseball since I was three years old,” Baldwin said. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a pro baseball player.”
    Baldwin was originally slated to play in the prestigious Cape Cod League this summer, but backed out in anticipation of having a professional assignment in the near future. So instead of getting the news that he had been drafted while sitting in a far away apartment, Baldwin was at home in Ringgold, Ga.
    “My family has done so much for me in helping me to get here,” Baldwin said. “It was great to be able to share this with them. My dad was shedding some tears when I got the call. It’s a great day for everyone.”
    During his tenure at Georgia Southern, Baldwin batted .292 and topped the .300 mark in each of his final two seasons. He was a constant threat to erase any potential double or triple making its way towards the gap and even found a power stroke in his final season, hitting all four of his career home runs - the last of which sent J.I. Clements Stadium into a frenzy during the SBC tournament.
     
More Eagles
taking the next step
    Two other Eagles hear their names called during Wednesday’s rounds of the Major League Baseball draft.
    Lefty reliever Connor Simmons joined his GS bullpen mate Landon Hughes as the Braves called his number in the 13th round.
    Jacob Condra-Bogan came to Statesboro for the 2017 season following a successful career at Wofford. The hard-throwing righty produced several stellar starting efforts for Georgia Southern and a handful of solid pitches in his arsenal grabbed the attention of the Toronto Blue Jays, who selected him in the 32nd round.
    Simmons was solid in his freshman season with the Eagles before claiming a spot at the back of the bullpen. Over his final two seasons, SImmons was an ideal setup man, notching a 7-3 record while striking out 105 batters over 90 innings of work.
    Condra-Bogan worked his way into the Eagles’ weekend rotation in his lone season with the team, notching a 5-3 record over six starts and 19 total appearances. Condra-Bogan’s high-water mark of the 2017 season came on March 31 when he tossed his lone complete game in a 9-3 Georgia Southern victory over