By Jerry Shank
Maryland Director of Scouting

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Mount Saint Mary’s Recruiting Coordinator Ben Leonard is entering his third season with the program. The Mount is coming off a season in which they increased their win total by seven games and are looking to continue to build upon that trend.  Before coming to the Mount, Leonard was well tuned to Maryland high school baseball serving as the head coach at Boonsboro HS.  He took some time out with PBR Maryland to talk about recruiting.

How was 2014 for The Mount in terms of recruiting?

2014 was a great recruiting year for us. We were able to sign eight guys in the 2015 class during the early signing period. This is the most we have ever signed that early. We are very excited about those guys. When we set out to recruit in the 2015 class, we wanted to focus on getting good baseball players that were also very good athletes. I feel we accomplished that goal and did so, much earlier than we had anticipated. We have already started recruiting for the 2016 class and recently had a well-attended junior day. We feel like the 2016 class will shape up nicely for us by next year's early signing period.

What is something that players might not know about UMES?

Most players do not know until they get on campus that Babe Ruth use to play baseball at the Mount. He was born in Baltimore and when he was seven years old he went to St. Mary's Industrial school for boys. On weekends the monks would bring the boys up to the Mount to visit and they would always end up playing baseball while they were on campus. Also we have a bow tie on our basketball court in honor of Coach Jim Phelan who is 14th all-time among Division I basketball coaches with 830 victories.

How would you describe the very competitive North East Conference?

The NEC is a tough conference where each and every game is critical. The NEC is a conference where every weekend is a battle. We play four games on a conference weekend. This can do a number to your pitching staff. The first game of the weekend is so critical, because it can either set up your staff for the entire weekend or have you piecing together arms come Sunday. One thing you be sure of though, is that each game you are going to be battling from the first to last inning. I've seen hitters go out in the first game and barrel everything up, which usually sets them up to have a very good weekend at the plate. However the opposite is just as true. Guys struggle in the first game and it can impact them mentally for the other three that weekend..

Have you been able to tell a difference with the new baseball? Has it had any effect on recruiting a specific type of player?

We have noticed a slight difference with the new ball. Most of the feedback we have gotten from our pitchers is that it is a bit easier on their fingers and that some guys are getting more movement on their two seem. As far as recruiting goes with the new baseball, we are really not changing much about how we go about it or how we evaluate players. The ball does go further than the previous ball, so of course we look for guys that will find barrel with the majority of their swings. However we still believe in small ball as well which allows us to focus on guys that can handle the bat too.

With all the 2017 and 2018 commitments going on, what are your thoughts about young men making their decision at such an early age?

I think making a decision so early on in your high school career is a double edged sword. If you step on campus and know right away you want to continue your career their then that's great no matter how old you are. However I tell all my guys to take as many visits as they can, that way when I get the phone call that they want to play at the Mount, I know they really want to be there. When I recruit I try to remove all the pressure off the student athlete. We want guys at the Mount who are excited to be there and know they can see themselves developing both as a baseball player as well as a person.

As a recruiter you have to be everywhere at once. How do you like the fact that Prep Baseball Report will now run events in Maryland?

Anytime you can stay in your home state and see a bunch talent it is great. The recruiting circuit can get so watered down with so many teams. Knowing that one organization is not trying to apply pressure to their guys on where to go, and simply putting them in front of coaches is an awesome thing.

How important is having some video footage available to you in order to begin to identify a player you may not have seen before?

Video footage can be a great thing. As a recruiter, I get video daily from players. I try to watch everyone I get, however knowing who made the video is so important. So many videos that we get are homemade and some of the angles are not the best. Receiving video that is professionally done not only shows me the correct footage that we are looking for, but also shows me the athlete is serious about what he is doing and is going about it the right way.

Prep Baseball Report may be new to Maryland, but is an established resource for amateur baseball across the country. How do you feel to finally have Prep Baseball Report in the state of Maryland?

It is great to know that Prep Baseball Report is in our state. It will allow us to focus on the local talent and give the players a more convenient way to be seen. I am excited to attend the Prep Baseball Report events and look forward to being able to stay in state to do so.