Mansfield, Nelson Capture All State Honors

Payton Mansfield- Photo by Gail Mansfield

When the All State D2 Baseball teams were announced this past week the frequent battery mates from the Fremont Packers landed on the 2nd team. The pair posted some potent offensive stats while adeptly executing their positions on the field.
Senior Payton Mansfield, the staff ace of Coach Jeff Foster’s team, and junior Logan Nelson the backstop who guided his moundsmen in a 30 win season were honored by the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association.

While Mansfield was masterful on the mound posting a 13-1 mark and setting the school mark for wins and strikeouts he wasn’t exactly a slouch at the plate. The college bound 3 sport letterman posted a .518 batting mark while rapping out 21 doubles on the season and knocking in an impressive 60 runs putting both stats in the Packer record book. His 6 round trippers were 2 short of another record.
Whenever the Packers faced another team's ace or needed a big game from the mound it was Mansfield who was going to be toeing the rubber.
“Payton is probably the best player to have gone through Fremont,” said Coach Foster. “He’s very athletic, works hard and puts in the extra time when needed.
“He’s our leader out there. The younger guys look up to him and they believe in him when he’s on the mound. His confidence makes the players behind him better.”

Logan Nelson- Photo by Kacey Nelson

Nelson, toiling behind the plate through a season’s worth of innings, also served as the team’s leadoff hitter skillfully filling the role. He slapped out a .524 average, circled the bases 3 times and found his way home 62 times breaking the school record while also shattering the mark for stolen bases.And when it comes to ‘taking one for the team’ Nelson reached base 10 times this season by being plunked in the batter’s box.
“He is really fast,” said Foster. “Logan is the most skilled catcher to have gone through our program. I knew about his ability behind the plate but it was his hitting that really surprised me this year.
“Logan’s a smart catcher, remembers the batters and knows how to pitch to them. We let him call the games all season and he really took control back there.”
And we couldn't help but notice an upbeat tone in the Coach's voice when he added...
“And he’s only a junior.”