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Author: Joey Johnston –In a pitching world where one question seems dominant — “What’s your velo?’’ — right-hander Logan Scheu is a throwback.

He thrives with an economy of pitches. He gets outs. He relies on his defense. More often than not, he walks off the field an efficient winner and the opposing team often wonders, “What just happened?’’

Scheu, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound senior at Mitchell High School, generally works in the low 80s. He has a four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball, a sweeping curveball and a changeup. He’s also working on a cutter.

It has proven to be a pretty good arsenal for success. After a summer of play with Baseball University — and a long-time association with BU pitching coach Anthony Telford — Scheu is headed to Pasco-Hernando State College with the idea that his best pitching days are ahead.

 “Logan just knows how to pitch,’’ BU director of operations Addison Maruszak said. “He’s a big kid and with a frame like that, you would think the (pitching velocity) would come. But you know what? The numbers that most people obsess about, they aren’t particularly relevant with Logan. He’s not a flame thrower, but he is a pitcher. He paints the corners. He keeps hitters off balance.

“He might throw six pitches to get out of an inning. He’s liable to throw a complete-game seven-inning outing with 70 to 75 pitches. With the pitch-ability he has, if the velocity goes up 10 miles an hour, you’re talking about a professional. I think Logan has an outstanding future.’’

It’s the kind of outlook that is reminiscent of Hall of Famer Greg Maddux. Scheu knows the name and the game. But as a Chicago Cubs fan, he can better relate to Kyle Hendricks, another pitcher known as the ultimate mound craftsman.

Scheu (last name is pronounced Shoy) once pitched a perfect game against a nationally ranked team in a Georgia tournament — seven innings, 71 pitches, four strikeouts, lots of grounders and a few popups. His top speed: 81 mph.

“Telly (Anthony Telford) has continually told Logan to not be fixated on the velocity,’’ said Scheu’s father, Bill. “He said a lot of those kids who are throwing hard, they’ve already reached their potential and you’ll start to see them fall off.

“Telly has challenged him and Logan has responded to that. It doesn’t matter so much how hard you throw if you throw strikes. When Logan walks to the mound, it’s like a switch is flipped. He’s very confident — not arrogant — but very confident that he’ll find a way to help his team win. Telly always says if people question how hard you throw, what does it matter if they’re sitting down in three pitches?’’

How good is Scheu’s control?

Last season at Mitchell, Scheu made a bet with teammate Jackson Miller. With $5 on the line, Scheu challenged Miller to hit at least three home runs. In turn, Miller challenged Scheu to walk no one all season.

Miller got his three homers.

Late in the season, Scheu’s 3-2 offering to an opposing hitter was called outside. Scheu looked over to Miller.

“He was laughing and and making the money sign,’’ Scheu said. “Yeah, my pitch went a little bit outside. Nobody’s perfect.’’

But Scheu came darn close.

It was his only walk of the season (against 32 strikeouts in 22 innings pitched).

After his senior season with the Mustangs, Scheu will take his arsenal to Pasco-Hernando, a hand-picked “ideal destination’’ that happens to be just down the road.

“I was focused on finding a good junior college and the No. 1 question I had was ‘How many players did they move on and put (into a four-year school)?’ ‘’ Scheu said. “With Pasco-Hernando, it was seasons of 10, 10, now it’s going to be 15 or 16 this year. They’re nationally ranked (finishing third in last season’s JUCO World Series). They have a great coach (Lyndon Coleman). I think it’s a great situation.’’

So does Maruszak.

“Logan worked his butt off with us last summer and he was already good enough to go to college,’’ Maruszak said. “Where goes he fit right now? We thought Division II or junior college was the fit. You say ‘junior college’ and people think those are bad. It’s really the opposite. If Logan develops like a madman for one year, he could get drafted or go to a place like Florida, USF or UCF.

“He’s so consistent. He’s a strike-throwing machine. He comes in with a smile every day, has a very positive attitude and works his butt off. He gets outs and wins games. There’s a lot to like with Logan.’’

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