{"id":23760,"date":"2015-03-27T16:14:36","date_gmt":"2015-03-27T20:14:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=23760"},"modified":"2015-04-10T13:29:40","modified_gmt":"2015-04-10T17:29:40","slug":"safe-at-home-royals-baseball-coach-ben-spotts-makes-local-recruiting-a-key-contributor-to-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2015\/safe-at-home-royals-baseball-coach-ben-spotts-makes-local-recruiting-a-key-contributor-to-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Safe at home: Royals baseball coach Ben Spotts makes local recruiting a key contributor to success"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eastern Mennonite University head baseball coach Ben Spotts<\/a> has a simple recruiting philosophy: Do not lose local athletes to other Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) schools. That\u2019s a tough goal, considering the proximity of three recruiting rivals in the Valley: Shenandoah University, ranked 11th<\/sup> in Division III; Bridgewater College; and Division I James Madison University, currently carrying six local players on its roster.<\/p>\n

But EMU\u2019s growing success, including a recent upset of Bridgewater\u2019s highly touted team, suggests that Spotts\u2019 recruiting philosophy\u2014and his mission for the Royals program –is helping the Royals compete at a higher level.<\/p>\n

Of the 42 players on the Royals roster, 12 are from the Shenandoah Valley.<\/p>\n

The wealth of local talent has deep roots: a love of baseball has often been passed down through the generations of Valley families. And there\u2019s the rich local history of the game: The Valley Baseball League<\/a>, which dates to 1897, and the Rockingham County Baseball League<\/a>, dating to 1925, have offered both playing and spectating opportunities for decades (until becoming a collegiate league in 1961, the Valley League was open to any player).<\/p>\n

Valley baseball players<\/h3>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not much else to do in the Valley but play ball,\u201d jokes Martin Clark, a sophomore pitcher who graduated from Broadway High School.<\/p>\n

Others from Rockingham County (and listed by their respective high schools) are freshman pitcher Logan Phelps, Spotswood, and sophomore catcher Ryan Hedrick, Turner Ashby.<\/p>\n

From the northern Valley region come senior pitcher Ryan Henschel, Stonewall Jackson; freshman outfielder Julian Bussells and junior pitcher Ryan Tierney, Warren County; and sophomore catcher Aaron Cook, Luray.<\/p>\n

The southern Valley is represented by freshman pitcher Tristan Childress, Waynesboro, and senior outfielder and pitcher Kyle Armstrong, Riverheads.<\/p>\n

This group of mostly underclass local talent symbolizes Spotts\u2019 recruiting strategy\u2014and it\u2019s one factor contributing to a significant turn-around in the program’s history.<\/p>\n

When Spotts first started in 2013, the games were sparsely attended. Now on game days, cars line College Avenue, the small hillside behind the home dugouts is crowded with fans and their lawn chairs and blankets (and usually a few dogs, too), and the concession trailer does good business.<\/p>\n

More and more wins<\/h3>\n

In 2011 and 2012, EMU managed only 11 wins. Most ODAC schools would look at their schedules before the season started and etch a \u201cW\u201d next to EMU\u2019s name. In 2013, after Spotts arrived, EMU jumped to 15 wins. Last year, the Royals finished the season with a 20-19 record, notching their first winning record since 2002 (that year, the team was led by Erik Kratz<\/a>, currently a catcher for the Kansas City Royals). It was also just the third 20-win season in program history.<\/p>\n

According to Spotts, who came to EMU after spending 14 seasons at Bridgewater College, the ODAC has improved in competition, commitment level and facilities in the past five to seven years. He speculated that the ODAC could be one of the top three Division III conferences in the country. In a recent poll<\/a>, two teams in the 14-team conference, including Randolph-Macon at seventh, are ranked in top 20 (Bridgewater was ranked 19th until dropping out during the March 24 polling).<\/p>\n

Ryan McAlister\u00a0’14 saw the struggling program turn around under Spotts\u2019 guidance. He arrived at EMU in 2011 from nearby Turner Ashby High School and one of the state\u2019s most consistently competitive baseball programs (TA teams have earned six AA state titles and several graduates have gone on to professional careers in Major League Baseball).<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing from a very competitive school in high school, to my first year here \u2013 winning 11 games and losing 28 \u2013 it was a lot different than being on a winning program,\u201d said McAlister, who currently coaches the junior varsity team at his alma mater.<\/p>\n

Planned, disciplined practices<\/h3>\n

Then Spotts took over. McAlister, along with the other players, took a liking to their new coach. Practices felt productive, and team chemistry began to feel cohesive.<\/p>\n

Under Spotts\u2019 coaching, McAlister earned All-State and All-ODAC honors. In his final season, McAlister batted .365 and held a .447 on-base percentage. He tied for the team-high in runs scored with 35, and led the team in stolen bases with 13.<\/p>\n

Spotts is \u201cthorough and disciplined, and he\u2019s got a plan,\u201d says Dave McAlister, who hardly missed one of his son\u2019s home games. \u201cHe\u2019s organized. He\u2019s a good fit for EMU, and EMU\u2019s a good fit for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of his son\u2019s progress on and off the field, McAlister says EMU was an excellent choice: \u201cAt EMU, Ryan picked up what we might call maturity things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tristan Childress, a freshman pitcher, has entered the legacy that McAlister left behind. He was also recruited by Bridgewater, but Spotts proved to be a deciding factor, Childress said, adding that he found the energy Spotts brings to the field \u201cconvincing.\u201d Perhaps more importantly, Childress said the senior leadership were just as positive about the program and the upcoming season.<\/p>\n

Recruiting coachable, motivated students<\/h3>\n

When recruiting players, Spotts says he looks for coachable and motivated student-athletes \u201cwho want to be a part of the campus community and are committed to being a part of the academic and athletic community at EMU.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThese players are committed to making our baseball program on of the top in the ODAC,\u201d he said, \u201cand they understand the hard work and year round commitment that is involved in competing in a college baseball program.\u00a0 I continually talk about our team and each player leaving their mark on our program in a positive way.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the previous two seasons, seven players have earned All-ODAC Academic Award<\/a>s and one player, Jonathan Estrada, was named to the ODAC\/StellarOne Sportsmanship Team<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As for future recruits, Spotts says he\u2019s always on the lookout for local talent. A common misconception among prospective students, he says, is that EMU is only open to those of the Mennonite faith.<\/p>\n

Like the game of baseball, EMU is \u201copen to all faiths,\u201d he says. \u201cCome visit. You may not come here if you do visit, but you\u2019ll think hard about it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eastern Mennonite University head baseball coach Ben Spotts has a simple recruiting philosophy: Do not lose local athletes to other Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) schools. That\u2019s a tough goal, ... read more about Safe at home: Royals baseball coach Ben Spotts makes local recruiting a key contributor to success<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23738,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4516,5176,5583,14715,4513],"tags":[7946,6834,9897,14125,16535,14755,11672,7552,15336,14126,14149,15333,9546,7752,16540],"feature":[],"class_list":["post-23760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-athletics","category-baseball","category-campus-community","category-campus-life","category-student-life","tag-baseball","tag-eastern-mennonite-university","tag-erik-kratz","tag-jonathan-estrada","tag-kansas-city-royals","tag-kyle-armstrong","tag-odac","tag-rockingham-county","tag-ryan-hedrick","tag-ryan-henschel","tag-ryan-mcalister","tag-ryan-tierney","tag-spotswood-high-school","tag-turner-ashby-high-school","tag-warren-county-high-school"],"yoast_head":"\nSafe at home: Royals baseball coach Ben Spotts makes local recruiting a key contributor to success - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2015\/safe-at-home-royals-baseball-coach-ben-spotts-makes-local-recruiting-a-key-contributor-to-success\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Safe at home: Royals baseball coach Ben Spotts makes local recruiting a key contributor to success - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Eastern Mennonite University head baseball coach Ben Spotts has a simple recruiting philosophy: Do not lose local athletes to other Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) schools. 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