Logan VanWey Becomes First Range Rider to Play in an MLB Game

KALISPELL, MT – Former Glacier Range Rider pitcher Logan VanWey has made his MLB debut, appearing for the Houston Astros on Friday night in their game against the Los Angeles Angels at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas. VanWey's appearance in The Show marks the first time a former Range Rider has appeared in a contest at baseball's highest level. He is also one of just two Pioneer League players, since the restructuring of the league in 2020, to get called up to an MLB organization.

VanWey entered the Astros-Angels game in the top of the sixth inning in Friday's game with the Astros in front 7-2. After getting his first batter, Luis Rengifo to line out, he faced one of the game's best, Mike Trout. On a 1-1 count VanWey got Trout to roll over on a sinker and skip one to third where he was promtply thrown out at first. After a hit batter, VanWey finished the inning with a strikeout of Logan O'Hoppe, before returning to fire a 1-2-3 seventh. The Astros would go on to win 14-3.

Largely unrecruited out of high school, VanWey attended school close to home at Missouri Southern State University where he had a prosperous five-year career with 76 total appearances and a career 3.58 ERA. When he knew his name wasn't likely to be called in the MLB Draft, he once again bet on himself and took his talent to the then-brand-new Glacier Range Riders. 

On Monday, May 23, 2022, both VanWey and the Range Riders made their debut in the Pioneer League. VanWey fired the first pitch in franchise history in a fastball for a strike and he ended up going three innings with zero runs against. The Range Riders would end up winning that contest 15-1 to start 1-0 in franchise history. 

Over the course of his time in the Valley, VanWey made nine total appearances, all starts, summing up to 39.1 innings on the mound, 41 strikeouts and a 2-2 record. His 6.64 ERA was not indicative of his success for Glacier, with that number getting ballooned thanks to one bad start. His final start for the Range Riders came on July 14th at Glacier Bank Park where he fired five innings with four strikeouts against the Billings Mustangs. In was on a July 18th bus ride to Idaho Falls where VanWey got the called from the Houston Astros that would forever change his life. 

After finishing 2022 in the Florida Complex League, VanWey had stops in Asheville, North Carolina and Corpus Christi, Texas before finding stability with the Sugar Land Space Cowboys where he pitched the entirety of 2024 with and was a big part of the Space Cowboys capturing the AAA Championship. He was called up to pitch in spring training with the Astros and finished with a 1.32 ERA in over 13 innings pitched facing the likes of Pete Alonso and Juan Soto. 

VanWey's appearance in an MLB game marks a significant milestone in his career as well as the evolution of the Glacier Range Riders. Since the restructuring of Pioneer League to an MLB Partner League in 2020, only one other player has played in the PBL then gone on to make a Major League appearance. The Range Riders have led the league in affiliated signings since their inaugural season in 2022, and VanWey's breakthrough to the Major League level solidifies that a path to the Show runs through the Flathead Valley. 

The Glacier Range Riders are an MLB Partner League baseball team located in Kalispell, Montana. Established in 2022, the Range Riders compete in the Pioneer Baseball League (PBL) and will begin their fourth season of play on May 20. To learn more about the team, visit GoRangeRiders.com.