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Frank Leoni

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Frank Leoni
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamMount St. Mary's
ConferenceMAAC
Record47–61–1 (.436)
Biographical details
Born (1968-11-28) November 28, 1968 (age 56)
Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Playing career
1988–1991Rhode Island
Position(s)Shortstop
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1993–2005Rhode Island
2006–2012William & Mary
2014–2021Marymount
2022–presentMount St. Mary's
Head coaching record
Overall657–754–6 (.466)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
  • 1 Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament championship (2005)
  • 2 Atlantic 10 Regular season Championships (2004, 2005)
  • 3 Atlantic 10 Conference East Division Championships (2003, 2004, 2005)
    1 Atlantic East Conference Regular season and Tournament championship (2021)
Awards
  • New England (NEIBA) DI Coach of the Year (2004)
  • Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year (2003, 2004)
  • Rhode Island Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame Inductee (2010)
  • Futures Collegiate Baseball League Manager of the Year (2015)
  • CAC Coach of the Year (2016)
  • ECAC South Region Coach of the Year (2016)
  • AEC Coaching Staff of the Year (2021)

Frank Leoni (born November 28, 1968) is an American baseball coach, currently the head baseball coach of the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers. He played college baseball at Rhode Island from 1988 to 1991.[1][2] He then served as head coach at William & Mary Tribe (2006–2012), the Rhode Island Rams (1993–2005)[3][4][5][6] and the Marymount Saints (2014–2021).[7][8][9]

In 2005 under Leoni, Rhode Island qualified for its first NCAA tournament.[10]

Playing career

[edit]

Leoni attended Cranston High School East in Cranston, Rhode Island, where he played high school baseball for the Thunderbolts from 1984 to 1986. He also attended the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, Rhode Island, where he was the starting shortstop for the Rams from 1988 to 1991 and held six school records. In 1991, Leoni was named Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference and to the Division I All-New England squad.

Coaching career

[edit]

Rhode Island

[edit]

Leoni was named the youngest NCAA DI head baseball coach in September, 1992 when he was hired to pilot the Rams at the age of 23. At the time, the program was a perennial bottom feeder in the Atlantic 10 Conference and slated for Title IX elimination. After a successful campaign to save the program, all athletic scholarship funding was stripped prior to the 1993-1994 academic year, leading to a dismal 2-39-1 record. Over the next 11 years, with less than 2.5 full scholarships and no full-time assistant coaches, the Rams were transformed into a conference and regional powerhouse.[11] The Rams won the Atlantic 10 Conference Eastern Division Championship for three consecutive years (2003-2005), the Atlantic 10 Conference Regular season Championship for two consecutive years (2004-2005), and won its first ever Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament championship and secured its first ever bid to the NCAA DI baseball tournament (2005).[citation needed] Leoni was named Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2004, as well as New England DI Coach of the Year in 2004. At the conclusion of the 2005 season, the Rams were named Team of the Year by Words Unlimited.[12] At the end of his tenure, Leoni was the winningest coach in program history. From 2003 to 2005, the program went 54-18 in Atlantic 10 Conference play. Over 13 seasons at URI, Leoni recruited or coached 18 players that went onto professional baseball,including 10 Major League Baseball draft picks (four top ten round picks),[13] 10 All-Americans, three A-10 Pitchers of the Year, one A-10 Player of the Year and one A-10 Rookie of the Year. He accepted the Head Baseball Coach position at the College of William & Mary in August 2005.

William & Mary

[edit]

Late in August 2005, Leoni began his tenure at the College of William & Mary, replacing former Major Leaguer Jim Farr.[14] The program had experienced recent hardship. Most notably, the roster had experienced significant turnover, with less than a full complement of players remaining. Quickly, the Tribe were restored as a perennial contender in the Colonial Athletic Association. On March 18, 2007, Leoni earned his 300th coaching victory after a 15-8 win over Towson.[15] In 2007, Tribe had the Colonial Athletic Association co-Player of the Year.[16] In 2008, the program finished with the second most wins (36) in its history and had a school record four Major League Baseball draft picks.[17] The 2008 team also finished 3rd in NCAA DI team batting average.[18] On April 7, 2009, Leoni became the fastest to reach 100 wins in program history, defeating Liberty 2-1.[14] On April 20, 2010, the Tribe defeated Longwood 10-9, securing Leoni's 400th coaching victory.[19] Leoni was inducted into the Rhode Island Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2010, receiving the Ben Mondor Award for lifetime service.[20] From 2010 to 2011, the Colonial Athletic Association reduced the championship field size to four teams, when the Tribe narrowly missed the playoffs. Seven Colonial Athletic Association series victories became the school record in 2011.[14] In 2012, the team won 31 games, and had the Colonial Athletic Association Pitcher of the Year for the second consecutive season.[21][22] Over seven seasons at W&M, Leoni recruited or coached 18 players who signed professional contracts, including 12 Major League Baseball draft picks (three top ten round picks), 17 All-Americans, one VaSID Player of the Year, two CAA Pitchers of the Year and two CAA Players of the Year. In May 2012, Leoni resigned to pursue other professional opportunities.[23]

Marymount

[edit]

On October 1, 2012, Leoni was hired by Marymount as its inaugural Head Baseball Coach.[24] The Marymount Saints had 24 freshman and six transfers when it began varsity competition in the Capital Athletic Conference during the 2014 season. In its second season, the Saints finished 4th and qualified for the postseason in 2015. After beginning the 2016 season with seven consecutive conference victories, Marymount finished in 2nd place and made it to the conference semi-finals.[25][26][27] On March 21, 2016, Leoni registered his 500th career victory with a 14-11 win over St. Mary's.[28] For the team's efforts in 2016, Leoni was named Capital Athletic Conference and ECAC South Region Coach of the Year[29][30] and the Saints were named NOVA Baseball Magazine Collegiate Team of the Year. For the third time in four years of existence, the Saints made it to the postseason in 2017, and defeated national power Christopher Newport in the first round for the second consecutive year.[31] In 2018-19, Marymount became a founding member of the Atlantic East Conference. After finishing tied for 2nd place, the Saints finished 2019 in the semi-finals. COVID-19 prematurely ended the Saints 2020 season. At the time, they were off to the best start in program history with a 13-6-1 record.[32] In 2021, the Saints broke through with their first Atlantic East Conference Regular season and Tournament championship. Marymount reached the NCAA DIII High Point Regional Tournament, a first in program history.[33][34] For their efforts, Alex Lemery was named Co-Player of the Year, Ryan Bergenhagen was named Pitcher of the Year, and Leoni and his staff were named Coaching Staff of the Year in the Atlantic East Conference.[35] Over seven and one half seasons, Leoni has recruited and coached one Conference Player of the Year, one Conference Pitcher of the Year, three ABCA All-Region,[36][37] two D3Baseball All-Region,[38] one VaSID Player of the Year,[39] seven VaSID All-State, and 17 All-Conference honorees. The Saints have also earned five consecutive ABCA Team Academic Excellence Awards through 2019-20.[40][41]

Mount St. Mary's

[edit]

On June 22, 2021, Leoni was named the head baseball coach of the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers.[42] The program has enjoyed a resurgence in three short years during Leoni's tenure. In 2023, the team won the second most games in program history (25) after beginning the season on a five game winning streak, a school record. Then, in 2024, the Mountaineers advanced to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament with a fourth place finish, its first postseason appearance since 2018. The team reached the semifinals after beating Canisius and #1 seed Fairfield. In 2023-2024, the team had back-to-back 20+ win seasons for the first time since 2009-2010. The Mount has had seven All-Conference players and the MAAC Rookie of the Year, players recruited and/or developed by Leoni and his staff. The program has also set more than 12 team school records, as well as more than 12 individual school records,

Martha's Vineyard Sharks

[edit]

During the summer of 2015, Leoni was the field manager (head coach) for the Martha's Vineyard Sharks of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League.[43] After guiding the team to a first place finish, Leoni was named co-Manager of the Year.[44] Five Sharks players, who played for Leoni, were Major League Baseball draft picks.

Head coaching record

[edit]

Below is a table of Leoni's yearly records as a collegiate head baseball coach.[7][45]

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Rhode Island Rams (Atlantic 10 Conference) (1993–2005)
1993 Rhode Island 12–26 5–14 8th
1994 Rhode Island 2–39–1 1–22 9th
1995 Rhode Island 12–31 5–16 9th
1996 Rhode Island 15–24 6–14 6th (East)
1997 Rhode Island 14–28–1 6–15 5th (East)
1998 Rhode Island 19–24 8–10 t-3rd (East)
1999 Rhode Island 22–28 10–11 t-3rd (East)
2000 Rhode Island 24–25–1 8–13 t-4th (East)
2001 Rhode Island 27–23 10–12 t-5th
2002 Rhode Island 24–28 10–14 t-3rd (East)
2003 Rhode Island 26–26 16–8 t-1st (East) A-10 tournament
2004 Rhode Island 35–20–1 20–4 1st (East) A-10 tournament
2005 Rhode Island 34–21 18–6 1st (East) A-10 Champions, NCAA Long Beach Regional
Rhode Island: 266–343–4 (.437) 123–159–0 (.436)
William & Mary Tribe (Colonial Athletic Association) (2006–2012)
2006 William & Mary 23–29 11–19 t-9th
2007 William & Mary 29–25 13–16 7th
2008 William & Mary 36–21 16–13 4th CAA Tournament
2009 William & Mary 24–25 9–14 9th
2010 William & Mary 27–24 10–14 t-8th
2011 William & Mary 26–29 16–14 t-5th
2012 William & Mary 31–25 12–18 9th
William & Mary: 196–178–0 (.524) 87–108–0 (.446)
Marymount Saints (Capital Athletic Conference) (2014–2018)
2014 Marymount 8–26 2–14 T-8th
2015 Marymount 17–17 9–9 4th CAC Tournament
2016 Marymount 23–17 12–6 T-2nd CAC Tournament
2017 Marymount 20–21 9–9 T-4th CAC Tournament
2018 Marymount 13–23 5–13 8th
Marymount: 81–104–0 (.438) 37–51–0 (.420)
Marymount Saints (Atlantic East Conference) (2019–2021)
2019 Marymount 20–21 8–4 T-2nd AEC Tournament
2020 Marymount 13–6–1 0–0 Season canceled due to Covid-19
2021 Marymount 20–7 15–3 1st NCAA Regional
Marymount: 53–34–1 (.608) 23–7–0 (.767)
Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers (Northeast Conference) (2022)
2022 Mount St. Mary's 14–34 7–20 8th
Mount St. Mary's: 14–34–0 (.292) 7–20–0 (.259)
Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) (2023–present)
2023 Mount St. Mary's 25–27 10–14 T-7th
2024 Mount St. Mary's 22-34-1 13-11 4th MAAC semifinals
Mount St. Mary's: 47–61–1 (.436) 23–25–0 (.479)
Total: 657–754–6 (.466)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Dick, Bob (September 2, 1992). "URI Gets New Varsity Baseball Coach: Ex-Star Leoni to Pilot Rams Nine". Providence Journal. Providence, Rhode Island, US. p. D-03. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  2. ^ "2012 Rhode Island Baseball Record Book" (PDF). GoRhody.com. Rhode Island Sports Information. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  3. ^ "#7 Frank Leoni". GoRhody.com. Rhode Island Sports Information. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  4. ^ "Frank Leoni". TribeAthletics.com. William & Mary Sports Information. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  5. ^ Kenyon, Paul (August 17, 2005). "Leoni Departs from URI Nine; Foster Named". Providence Journal. Providence, Rhode Island, US. p. D1. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  6. ^ Foley, Brian (June 11, 2012). "Frank Leoni Resigns at William & Mary". CollegeBaseballDaily.com. CBD News Source. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  7. ^ a b "2005 Rhode Island Rams Baseball Media Guide" (PDF). Rhode Island Sports Information. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 5, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  8. ^ "Marymount Names Frank Leoni Head Baseball Coach". CACSports.com. September 27, 2012. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  9. ^ "Marymount Hired Baseball Coach". SunGazette.com. September 28, 2012. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  10. ^ "Tribe Head Baseball Coach Frank Leoni Inducted into Rhode Island Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame". TribeAthletics.com. William & Mary Sports Information. July 2, 2010. Archived from the original on January 21, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  11. ^ "2020 baseball records (PDF)" (PDF). University of Rhode Island. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  12. ^ "Words Unlimited". Salve Regina. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  13. ^ "University of Rhode Island Baseball History - The Baseball Cube". www.thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  14. ^ a b c "Frank Leoni - Head Coach - Staff Directory". William & Mary Athletics. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  15. ^ "W&M Sweeps Towson as Coach Leoni Earns 300th Career Victory". William & Mary Athletics. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  16. ^ "Greg Sexton Honored as CAA Co-Player of the Year". William & Mary Athletics. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  17. ^ "Guez, Grieve and Kantakevich Selected on Day Two of MLB Draft". William & Mary Athletics. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  18. ^ "NCAA& Ranking Summary". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  19. ^ "Tribe Head Coach Frank Leoni Earns Career Victory No. 400 with 10-9 Win over Longwood". William & Mary Athletics. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  20. ^ "Tribe Head Baseball Coach Frank Leoni Inducted into Rhode Island Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame". William & Mary Athletics. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  21. ^ "Davenport Headlines Three Tribe All-CAA Selections". William & Mary Athletics. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  22. ^ "Tribe Baseball Blanks Hofstra, 11-0, In Game Two". William & Mary Athletics. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  23. ^ "Frank Leoni Resigns as W&M Baseball Coach". William & Mary Athletics. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  24. ^ "Marymount Names Frank Leoni Head Baseball Coach". Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference. September 27, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  25. ^ "Saints down No. 11 Sea Gulls for seventh-straight CAC win". Marymount University. March 23, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  26. ^ "Saints fall to Sea Gulls in CAC tournament". Marymount University. April 23, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  27. ^ "BEHIND THE MOMENT: Baseball's Quick Progression in 2016". Marymount University. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  28. ^ "Leoni collects 500th win; Saints remain perfect in CAC with twin bill sweep of Seahawks". Marymount University. March 21, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  29. ^ "Bazemore, Gerdts earn All-CAC honors; Leoni tabbed Coach of the Year". Marymount University. May 10, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  30. ^ "Leoni named ECAC South Coach of the Year". Marymount University. June 8, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  31. ^ "Fifth-seeded Saints overcome five-run deficit to down second-seeded Captains". Marymount University. April 18, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  32. ^ "Saints sweep Green Terror in doubleheader on Saturday". Marymount University. March 14, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  33. ^ "CHAMPIONS: Baseball Claims First-Ever Atlantic East Title". Marymount University. May 22, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  34. ^ "Baseball Heads South for First Appearance in NCAA Division III Championships". Marymount University. May 24, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  35. ^ "Lemery and Bergenhagen Highlight MU's Atlantic East Award Winners". Marymount University. May 24, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  36. ^ "Hall Tabbed Program's First ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Honoree". Marymount University. May 22, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  37. ^ "Tyree earns second-team ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic All-Region". Marymount University. May 28, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  38. ^ "Dickson, Andrews named to D3baseball.com All-Mid-Atlantic Region third team". Marymount University. June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  39. ^ "2020 VaSID College Baseball All-State Team Announced". Virginia Sports Information Directors. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  40. ^ "Baseball earns ABCA Academic Excellence Award for fourth-straight season". Marymount University. July 24, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  41. ^ "2019-20 ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award winners announced". www.abca.org. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  42. ^ Grace Grill (June 22, 2021). ""The biggest thing we're going to bring is culture;" Mount St. Mary's hires 28 year vet, Frank Leoni, to revamp Mountaineers baseball program". www.localdvm.com. Nexstar Media Inc. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  43. ^ "Sharks hire new head coach". The Martha's Vineyard Times. September 24, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  44. ^ "Leoni named FCBL Co-Manager of the Year; Squad top in league heading to playoffs". Marymount University. August 10, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  45. ^ "Colonial Athletic Association Baseball Record Book" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 7, 2012. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
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