By Chris Valentine
PBR Ohio Scouting Director

Over the past month, we have talk all things baseball and recruiting with coaches from the different levels of college baseball in Ohio. 

Today's feature includes an interview with Shawnee State head coach Ted Tom, who coaches one of the state's NAIA programs. Coach Tom is in his sixth year at Shawnee State. Prior to Shawnee State, Tom spent 2007 as the outfield instructor at the IMG Baseball Academies in Bradenton, Fla. where he also was a head coach in the Florida Collegiate Instructional League. Tom also has coaching experience at the NCAA Division I level as he served as volunteer assistant coach for Indiana University for both the 2005 and 2006 seasons.

PBR: As a NAIA program, what is your approach to recruiting? What type of player are you looking for?

Coach Tom: We are looking for guys who have Division I type ability, maybe have some versatility who want to earn a college education and have a desire to be the best at whatever they want to do.  I want guys who have a strong desire in being a part of Shawnee State Baseball.  We are limited in the amount of scholarships SSU affords us so having guys who are athletic and can do a variety of things on the field whether it be play infield and outfield or be a dual guy who can pitch, we can get a couple of things done with 1 guy.  We create a difficult atmosphere for our guys to make the spring seem easier so we need guys who love to play every day and have a strong desire to improve their skills.

PBR: What is the difference between NAIA baseball and NCAA governed  baseball?

Coach Tom: The NAIA is the land of opportunity.  There are not as many rules, regulations, and academic standards which means we can recruit players; we can coach players; and we can have players who might be immature in the classroom or socially and give them opportunities to use baseball as a means to an end.  That end being earning a degree.  NAIA Baseball can offer 12 scholarships (which is .3 more than Division I) so the schools that are fully funded have very good players and play at a high level.  Most NAIA schools do not offer the full allotment so there is some variance between the high end and low end in programs.  For us at Shawnee State, we are somewhere in the middle in terms of funding, however, being a state school, we compete with most other schools packages because the cost of attendance is more reasonable.

PBR: Obviously, many kids have the desire to play DI or DII levels. How do you help them understand the advantages of playing NAIA baseball at Shawnee State?

Coach Tom: If we are recruiting the right player, we are going after the guys who have walk-on type opportunities at the Division I level.  Many times, it is educating a student athlete on the opportunity to play right away or the opportunity to sit and earn your time later in your career.  NAIA and DII are very similar.  In the end, the advantages of playing NAIA Baseball at Shawnee State are:

1. We schedule the best teams in the NAIA.  You want to be the best; you have to beat the best.
2. In 5 years, we attempt to play at least 1 DI school each year culminating in a victory against Dayton in 2011.
3. If you are good enough to make it to professional baseball, the scouts will find  you and we will play great competition which means professional type players.
4. I want our guys to have a big-time experience similar to that of bigger schools.  We do some fundraising so we can travel south in February.  We have a Rawlings sponsorship so our players are able to use top of the line equipment.
5. We are the northern most school in our conference stretching into Virginia and Tennessee.  We, no longer, have to make trips north of Columbus and gamble with the weather.  Our home games are the gamble and we are the southernmost school in Ohio.

PBR: What is your biggest obstacle in the recruiting process?

Coach Tom: I think our biggest obstacle in the recruiting process is educating families on NAIA Baseball and Shawnee State.  Being in southern Ohio and not having a major city around, many families have only heard of Portsmouth.  Once we get prospective student-athletes on campus, it is much harder for them to turn away.  We have a growing campus and play in a great ballpark with a lot of history.  Not many players can say they played in a ballpark that Don Gullett, Frank Robinson, Walter Alston, and Al Oliver called home.

Just as much, NAIA Baseball is somewhat of an unknown for families especially now since Ohio has 6 or so NAIA schools.  For me, it is about fit regardless of division.  If the school offers what you want, then you should consider it.  Too many times, we all get caught up what division the school plays in.  In reality, we are blessed in Ohio to have quality programs and for SSU, being in the Mid-South Conference, we have outstanding baseball programs to compete against including former National Champions.

PBR: Where do you go to recruit players? 

Coach Tom: We recruit players from all over.  We have had Japanese players in the past and currently will have a Brazilian in the spring.  With that being said, I want to have as many area guys as possible.  Having grown up in Ohio, I think we have great baseball and great high school programs.  If we can recruit from the best programs in the state, those athletes already know how to win and know how to carry themselves, makes our jobs easier and we can get to the business of getting better. 

We spend a lot of time recruiting the showcases and our recruiting coordinator, Chris Moore, spends the spring seeing guys at high school games.

PBR: What is the difference between Shawnee State and other programs in the state?

Coach Tom: Shawnee State is the southernmost school in Ohio meaning we have some of the best weather in the state.  We are the northernmost school in our conference so we rarely play north of Portsmouth.  You get the best of both worlds; going to school close to home so the family can see you play while playing baseball in our spring weather more often than not south.

I love competition and to see where we stack up with the best teams in the NAIA so we will continually play the top teams.  In 2013, we will play 20 games against ranked opponents.