Penn Hills grad Yasmine Logan finding comfort, success at Ohio U

Building relationships and the ability to maintain them is something Yasmine Logan came by honestly.

The 2020 Penn Hills graduate learned through life communication is easier when things are direct. When Logan went to Ohio University to play softball, not much changed about her approach.

When things need to be said, or not to be said, Logan can read a room.

“As I got older, I realized that talking to people about things always leads to a better outcome,” Logan said. “I know when I should say something and when I shouldn’t.”

Logan’s emotional intelligence has helped her navigate some seismic changes with Ohio’s program. Jenna Hall returned to take over as coach of Ohio’s program after Kenzie Roark retired after last season.

Logan, a junior centerfielder, has maintained her spot as a steady presence in the lineup and off the field. So far this season, Logan is second on the team in batting average (.308), home runs (six) and RBIs (28).

What has impressed Hall was how Logan is able to work with her teammates.

“She’s able to build good relationships,” Hall said. “She knows how to have hard conversations. I think she is comfortable with who she is, and our coaching staff wants to utilize her more.”

Logan is seeing gains at the plate so far this season.

Last season, Logan hit .283 with eight home runs and 23 RBIs.

Hall said she was pleased with Logan after meeting her in the fall. The staff challenged her to change her thought process while batting.

“Being a new staff, we dove into the mechanics and wanted to make sure she covered both sides of the plate while she hit,” Hall said. “We wanted her to be able to work on it so she was consistent.”

One of the things Logan has been most excited with is doing more study before games. Before this season, Logan had never watched much film. What she’s found is that she enjoys looking for tendencies from pitchers.

Developing more knowledge on how her opponents will approach the game has helped widen the array of pitches she can hit.

“I needed to develop confidence in myself,” Logan said. “When you play in college, you realize there are a lot of good pitchers. When you watch film, you see what their good pitches are and what their bad pitches are. That way you know which pitches to attack.”

Ohio has seen a lot of growth in Hall’s first season. The Bobcats are 25-16 overall and 15-6 in Mid-American Conference play. Ohio is on pace to finish with its first winning season since 2019.

Logan would like to see the Bobcats push this season as far as it will go.

She was happy to stay at Ohio in a world where the transfer portal makes it easier for students to go elsewhere.

“This is a happy environment for me,” Logan said. “I talked to the coach when she got here, and I knew I would be able to play.”