By JOE McFARLAND

It almost didn’t feel real to Logan Grant.

Up to bat in the bottom of the seventh inning against Dickinson State University on April 6, the Bellevue University utilityman got a hold of a Patrick Dietz offering.

He thought he had driven it to the gap to potentially tie the game 5-5.

However, the ball kept on sailing and, when it landed over the fence, Grant’s 14^th home run of the season set the Bruins’ career mark at 45.

“There was a rush of emotions that hit me,” he told Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast.

“Like, ‘Holy, I just hit a walk-off home run … oh wait, that’s the record.’ It was a whole lot of things all at once.”

It has put an exclamation point on what’s been a decorated run with Bellevue, but the Dawgs Academy grad has a few more things he’d like to do before he finishes up his senior season.

A SLOW START

It’s hard to imagine how Grant was planning to improve upon his first two seasons with the Bruins.

He was named North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) Newcomer of the Year and First Team All-NSAA in his first season (2023), after hitting .367 with 11 home runs and 69 RBI in 58 games.

He followed that up with a line of .346, 20 homers and 66 RBI in 53 games in 2024, which led to numerous accolades including NSAA Player of the Year and Second Team National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-American.

All-̶C̶̶a̶̶n̶̶a̶̶d̶̶i̶̶a̶̶n̶ American!

Logan Grant has been named an NAIA Second Team All-American!#DefendTheDen pic.twitter.com/AgSVnq6PQS
— Bellevue U. Baseball (@BUBruinBaseball) June 6, 2024

The team has also been a powerhouse, going 48-10 and 39-14 in those two seasons.

However, the Bruins stumbled out of the gate, going 2-6 in their first eight games.

Grant, meantime, hit three roundtrippers in his first six games, then went on a 11-game dryspell.

“It was not a fun first few weeks,” he admitted. “We had a pretty strong schedule to start the year and we know it’s going to be tough every year, but this year I think we kind of went in not necessarily expecting to win games.”

The team strung together a five-game winning streak before a two-week pattern of win-loss-win-loss.

FINDING THEIR FEET

On March 13 against MidAmerica Nazarene, Grant launched his fourth home run of the season.

Little did he know, he was about to embark on a stretch of hitting home runs in seven of nine games, inching himself closer to the team record of 44 home runs in a career.

Grant, who also spent some time at Vauxhall Academy, says chatter about getting to the record started in the fall, but he put it in the back of his mind.

With his walk-off home run in game one of today's doubleheader, Logan Grant becomes BU's all-time home run leader with No. 45 in a Bruin jersey.#BUBruins #NAIABaseball pic.twitter.com/9iwELrn2za
— Bellevue Bruins (@BUBruins) April 7, 2025

“I was really trying to just think of it more as a ‘cool to happen’ and, if it doesn’t happen, not a big deal,” said the well-travelled catcher, who has also spent time in the Western Canadian Baseball League with the Sylvan Lake Gulls and Swift Current 57’s before the last two years in Okotoks.

When the 6-foot-1, 190-pound slugger hit another roundtripper against Morningside University of April 1, the talk intensified as he was just one away from the leader: fellow Okotoks Dawgs alum Riley Baasch.

Heading into a weekend set with Dickinson, Grant says he tried to keep focused on helping the team continue its eight-game winning streak.

He tied the record in a 30-2 victory on April 7, setting the stage for a day he won’t soon forget.

WALKING IT OFF

Down 5-4 heading into the final half-inning, Bellevue head coach Duane Monlux decided to use Balas Buckmaster as a pinch-hitter for Nick Gravel.

The Anchorage, Alaska native did his job by singling, then was pulled for pinch-runner Jaylan Ruffin, who moved to second on a Scott Hansen sacrifice bunt.

Designated hitter Seven Elsner struck out, giving Grant the chance to cash in a runner with just one out.

The Chestermere-area native fouled off the first pitch, then took one over the wall in right-centrefield to cue the dogpile at home plate.

“That was awesome – really cool,” Grant said.

“Seeing all those guys fired up, obviously to win the game, but for me as well … I’ve played with a lot of those guys for three years and some for two years. It was pretty cool.”

Fellow Albertan and new Bruin Ayden Makarus was stoked for his teammate, saying his teammates all felt it was fitting that the record was broken in a big moment.

“I’m so happy for and proud of him,” said fellow Albertan and new Bruin Ayden Makarus. “I’ve known him for a long time and he’s more than deserving to be in the spot he’s in.”

The Calgary native says there has been some friendly ribbing about who could potentially take the crown, joking that he would take a run at it himself if he was going to be there longer than a couple of years.

Another fellow Dawgs product, Gavin Wuschke, says it was an incredible moment to see in-person.

“Having it be a walk-off made it even sweeter,” said the Bruins hurler and Saskatchewan native. “It goes to show all the hard work he’s put in has truly paid off, and it couldn’t have happened to a better person and teammate.”

Grant has been appreciative of the support from his team, adding the day was made sweeter as his parents and grandmother were at the game and could celebrate with him as well.

The following day, he received a text message from Baasch, who he’s become close with thanks to their connections to the Bruins and the Dawgs.

“He said, ‘Hey, here’s your throne, now go make sure nobody can break your record,’” Grant laughed. “That was a pretty cool feeling to hear from him, a long-time Bruin, as he shows us a lot of support.”

The Albertan says he’s also been heartened by the support he’s received from the Bellevue community as well as everyone back home who has been following his journey.

THE ULTIMATE GOAL

With the home run record now in his grip, Grant has a couple of other marks in sight.

He is still chasing Baasch’s mark for most runs batted in during a career with 210 and most walks with 91.

Grant says his focus right now is on winning, as he would like to do one more thing before his college career comes to an end: win a national championship.

The senior believes the Bruins have it in them, adding their early-season struggles have allowed them to come together closer than they have ever been.

The NSAA Tournament is set to being May 2, with the NAIA Opening Round beginning May 12 and, if all goes according to plan, Grant would love to be in Lewiston, Idaho for the Avista NAIA World Series May 23-31.

“It’s going to take a lot of work and there are some really good teams out there,” he said. “We just have to take it day-by-day and take care of things – each game, every practice – that will help us get there.”

It would be a perfect way to wrap up what’s been an award-winning and now record-setting collegiate career for Logan Grant.