HSB26 HIGH ACHIEVERS: Pitcher Logan Forgie makes University of Dayton next step in his baseball career

By Martin Cleary

Three years ago, Logan Forgie sat down with his parents to talk baseball.

But it wasn’t a casual conversation about the state of the Toronto Blue Jays. Instead, it was a serious discussion about Forgie wanting to take his game to the next level in Toronto with the Ontario Blue Jays of the Canadian Premier Baseball League.

Forgie had experienced various levels of baseball in the city with the Kanata Cubs for five years, creating great memories and developing wonderful friendships, the St. Anthony Angels and the Capital City Reds.

But as good and as fun as those years were for the left-handed pitcher, he wanted something more. Forgie needed to play against better competition, challenge himself and build a baseball career that would be noticed by coaches and scouts.

That family conversation proved to be a pivotal moment in his career development as Forgie’s fastball, strikeout power and mound consistency would eventually earn him a berth on the Ontario Blue Jays roster for two years, the Canadian national junior team for 1½ years, two years at Lawrence Academy prep school and now a near full athletic scholarship to the University of Dayton for the 2026-27 academic/athletic year.

“We had a family discussion because Ottawa baseball wasn’t doing well,” Forgie reasoned in a phone interview this week. “I decided I wanted to try out for the Ontario Blue Jays in Toronto.”

Forgie wasn’t looking at moving to Toronto as a 15-year-old. But he would do what many other talented Ottawa athletes in other sports have done by travelling on a regular basis by car and/or train to Toronto for practices and games.

The decision to follow that pathway heavily involved Forgie’s parents, who would be responsible for driving the car or accompanying him on train trips during winter as well as accommodation and food.

“In the end, the decision was made and it was successful,” Forgie, 19, added. “My dad and mom have done a lot to get me here.”

Forgie, whose family lives in Dunrobin, is finishing his youth development with the Ottawa Nepean Canadians. He could have returned to the Ontario Blue Jays for another two seasons, but he wanted to spend the summers of 2025 and 2026 at home.

Being away from home was a rich and rewarding experience for Forgie, who attended Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts for the past two years. He completed Grades 9 through 11 at West Carleton Secondary School before transferring to Lawrence to repeat Grade 11 (his own choice) and Grade 12.

His first year at Lawrence was filled with positives. Lawrence won the Independent School League baseball championship on its home field. Forgie was the winning pitcher in the semifinal game.

That debut season against quality American competition saw Forgie named the ISL pitcher of the year and an All-ISL all-star. He posted a 5-0 win-loss record, an eye-popping 0.98 ERA and a second-best 56 strikeouts.

This season, Forgie repeated as an All-ISL all-star, was named to the All-New England all-star team and led all high school pitchers in the state of Massachusetts with 66 strikeouts.

“Attending Lawrence Academy helped me improve,” Forgie said not only about his baseball, but also about living on his own on campus. “We played against some of the best kids on teams in New England. I pitched every Wednesday in the league and it was a good challenge for me.”

While living on campus, Forgie was responsible for doing his school work, athletic training, eating properly and laundry. From September through February, he took charge of his own athletic training program, since the baseball coach wasn’t able to work with the student-athletes until March under league rules.

“From September to March, I had to do my own thing … eating right, no parents. It was a huge maturity thing,” Forgie said.

Forgie, who received a full scholarship to attend Lawrence for two years, also excelled in the classroom, which averaged about 10 students for each subject. His 87 per cent academic average earned him a B+ grade rating under the American marking system.

During his two years at Lawrence, the spectator stands were filled with scouts and coaches, tracking his pitches with radar guns and filling their notebooks. Forgie and family heightened the process by hiring Walter Beede, a college recruiting coordinator and player development coach for nearly 40 years as well as author of the book Dreams of the Sandlot. Beede, who was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1981, recommended Forgie attend Lawrence.

Forgie’s two years with the Ontario Blue Jays led to being named to play in the Canadian Futures Showcase at Toronto’s Rogers Centre, a handful of impressive pitching assignments in a series against the United States and the U18 Pan Am World Baseball Cup qualifier in Panama with the Canadian national junior team under head coach Greg Hamilton of Ottawa.

Following the Pan Am qualifier, where Canada placed fifth and missed a berth in the World Cup final, Forgie started receiving scholarship offers from American universities. During his Pan Am qualifying tournament, he only pitched in one game, posting two strikeouts and allowing no hits in one inning. He was scheduled to pitch in the semifinals, but Canada lost 4-2 in the quarterfinals to Puerto Rico.

In the six-game series against the United States, Forgie, whose fastball ranges between 88 and 92 miles an hour, pitched three innings over two games, allowing one hit and no walks, while striking out four batters.

Following the Pan Am qualifier on Aug. 1, 2024, Forgie had 12 phone calls from NCAA Division 1 universities, but the University of Daytona wasn’t among that group.

Vanderbilt University was keen on signing Forgie and assistant coach Jason King remembered his name, when he became head coach at University of Dayton in 2025. In his new role with Dayton, King encouraged Forgie to pass on his final Grade 12 year at Lawrence and commit to Dayton.

But Forgie wanted to experience his final year at Lawrence and graduate with his peers. Forgie, who made visits to the University of Nebraska and Bryant University, committed to attend Dayton on July 15, 2025. Dayton plays in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

“I wanted to go to play … and that’s what Dayton offered me,” Forgie said. “The coach thinks I can impact the team (right away). He’s the best coach to make me better.”

The combination of an opportunity to play regularly, an almost full athletic scholarship, an impressive coach and a supportive group of people around him was the perfect academic/athletic option for Forgie.

He’s thinking of studying engineering, but may change his mind.

Reflecting on his 12 years in baseball, Forgie feels fulfilled with how his baseball career has unfolded.

“I feel good about it. I have come a long way. There have been a lot of ups and downs, a lot of memories and a lot of experiences, like the Pan Am qualifier,” he said. “I couldn’t have done it without baseball. I wouldn’t change anything, a single thing. It has made me who I am today.”

Read More of our 2026 High School Best Series as we tip our caps to top local student-athletes at: OttawaSportsPages.ca/Ottawa-High-School-Best-2026