Hitting a baseball isn’t an easy thing to do. To make solid contact, a batter must strike a round ball moving at a high rate of speed with a round bat. Furthermore, a batter must make quality contact in hopes of a higher success rate.

No, hitting a baseball is not easy. Troy third baseman Logan Pierce, however, is making it look much too simple.

The Charles Henderson graduate was named the Sun Belt Conference’s preseason Player of the Year and he has lived up to the hype thus far in 2013.

Adding to the pressure entering his senior campaign, Pierce made the transition from first to third base. None of that has seemed to bother him however as he’s done nothing but lead the conference in batting average (.399), on-base percentage (.492) and hits (65).

For even the best hitters in baseball, there are times when balls just don’t bounce in their favor. Sometimes a pitch looks as big as a beach ball coming out of a pitcher’s hand and other times it’s nothing more than a sound whistling by. Pierce has become a model of consistency for Troy.

“There have been some times when I haven’t seen it as good as other times or a pitcher is really hitting his spots. But, my approach to hitting is simple, I go up there looking to get the job done whatever the situation is. Whether it’s a walk, a fly ball or a double, that’s what I’m looking to do,” Pierce said.

Logan’s father, Troy head coach Bobby Pierce, says whether he’s looking at his son’s season through a father’s eyes or as a coach, the feature that stands out is the same.

“His consistency is what I feel like has been his secret this season,” Bobby Pierce said. “That’s what you look for as a coach anyway. Logan has been like some of our other guys this year, just consistent.”

There is no secret formula to Pierce’s philosophy to hitting, no unique training regimen, no superstitious pregame ritual. It is artless, yet the results have been equivalent to a masterpiece.

“When I go to the plate, I’m just looking to get the job done or get on base. It’s simple,” Pierce said. “I replay the same three things in my mind when I go to the plate, have confidence, hit the ball hard and help the team win anyway I can. I just try to stick to those three things every time.”

For Pierce, the simplicity seems to be working.