By Jerry Shank
Maryland Director of Scouting

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Harford Community college has revitalized the program in the past few years and it has been largely due to head coach Tom Eller.  In his nine seasons at the helm the Fighting Owls have averaged just under 30 wins a year, and in the past five they are averaging 37 wins per season.  Coach Eller has contributed overall to the program which has lead to a facility that is one of the best in the state and will play as host to the Mid-Atlantic Border Battle this July.  He took some time out to talk a little recruiting with PBR Maryland.

How did recruiting go for you in 2014?

--At the JUCO level our recruiting calendar looks a little different than the NCAA D1's in the area, but overall it has been one of the best years that we have had here recruiting. This year's team is very talented, we have eight NCAA Division I transfers, four of which we picked up at the semester break that are eligible this spring. Our team for 2015 is very deep, and we have a few guys who are going to be on draft boards. Most recently, we picked up Dominic DiSabatino, a SS who transferred from University of Maryland and was the state of Delaware's Gatorade Player of the Year. We already have six commits for our 2015-2016 class, and will look to add a few more due to the amount of player that we have moving on after this season.

Tell us something interesting about your school.

--Our Athletic Facilities are amazing here at Harford. We have been blessed with an Administration that cares about the Student-Athlete, and in turn they have done a lot of work in order to make sure we have the best facilities for them. Our facilities consist of three turf fields (Soccer/Lacrosse, Baseball, and a practice field), eight tennis courts with lights, three grass practice fields, two softball fields (one of which is being renovated now) and a basketball arena that includes a pool, auxiliary gym, weight room, training room, and houses our athletic department.

In Junior College you have to not only get the player, but then find a four year program to want that player as well, describe how you have had success with this?

--Our program developed a philosophy that has helped us become very successful. We want to find not only the best baseball players but we want our players to be good students and good people. Our goal is to get the best of the best and to get them moved on to the next level, hopefully with a scholarship. If our guys don't do well in the classes than it’s going to be hard to transfer, so we set up a plan for them and stick with it.
We have been very successful at transferring players to the next level, I love seeing players who didn't get a scholarship out of HS, then transfer from here to a D1 with a scholarship. That is not always the case but it really shows that we can develop our student-athletes on and off the field. We have sent players to Maryland, Delaware, Long Island University, Presbyterian, USC-Upstate, Wofford College, VCU, UNC Greensboro, Wilmington, West Chester, Millersville, Shippensburg, and Flagler to name a few.

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

--It's huge! Video allows me to see some of the things that I am looking for in a player. The biggest thing for me is seeing their actions at the plate, in the field, and on the mound. I remember getting an email from a kid who looked to be a little on the small side but when I watched his video I immediately realized this was a guy we needed. We ended up signing Ben (Bomberger) and I was so happy that I had video to see what he was all about. Ben's hands at the plate are not only lightning fast but he generates a ton of pop and will be a great asset to our program!

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 I can go to an event where I can see a lot of good players at once is huge for me. Our schedule is crazy, especially when you add strength and conditioning, study hall and other team events in the mix. So I much rather go to an event where I can see the best of the best all at one location. It’s even better when we can actually host an event like the PBR Border Battle. Last year we had a chance to see some of the best in the area, and we are hosting the event again this year.

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’s great, because I am going to have a chance to see the best in Maryland at these events. Our scholarship dollars are very limited here at Harford, so anytime I can find a player that fits what we are looking for in the state of Maryland it is a huge help. You can't win if you don't have good players, and PBR is going to continue to help us get the best all-around student-athletes.