EMMITSBURG, Md. (June 21, 2021) – Frank Leoni, respected member of the baseball coaching profession since 1992, has been hired to lead the Mount St. Mary’s baseball program. He becomes the 14th person to coach the Mountaineers since 1925.
Coaching for 28 seasons at the NCAA Division I and Division III levels, Leoni has led three programs to a combined total of 596 wins. He has been named Coach of the Year in his conference seven times and is a 2010 inductee into the Rhode Island Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame.
“I am equally excited and grateful for this tremendous opportunity to lead the Mount baseball program!” Leoni said. “The potential to build a winner and create a championship experience for our baseball student-athletes captivated me immediately. Thank you to President Trainor, Lynne Robinson, Kevin Robinson, and members of the search committee for their confidence in me. And my sincerest gratitude to everyone at the Mount athletics for a warm welcome. I cannot wait to get started!”
Leoni comes to Emmitsburg from Marymount University, where he helped start a baseball program from scratch in 2014. During his eight years with the Saints, he compiled four seasons of 20 wins or more, and his efforts culminated in the 2021 Atlantic East Conference Championship and an appearance in the NCAA High Point Regional. The conference rewarded him and his staff with the Atlantic East Coaching Staff of the Year award.
Before his time in Arlington, Leoni earned 20 years’ experience at the Division I level. A 1990 graduate of the University of Rhode Island, he inherited the program as head coach two years later. The early road was difficult with the staff working to save the team from being dropped by the athletic department. They succeeded and Leoni took the program from a two-win team in 1994 to back-to-back 30-win seasons at the end of his tenure. In his final campaign with the Rams, the team won its first Atlantic 10 title and participated in the Long Beach Regional of the NCAA Tournament.
By 2005, his success at Rhody led him to a seven-year stint at the College of William & Mary. Providing a steady hand at the helm, the program averaged 28 victories a year with a top mark of 36-21 in 2008. A total of 14 players were drafted by Major League Baseball clubs, including fifth rounder Mike Sheridan in 2008. That season, a school record four student-athletes were selected in the draft. Following his departure in 2012, the team continued to enjoy success, heading to an NCAA regional in 2013.
Regardless of school, Leoni’s team were also engaged in the classroom and the community. Teams at Marymount received both the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award and the Atlantic East Team Academic Award. At Rhode Island, his 2005 squad was recognized in the top 10 percent nationally for Academic Progress Rate.
For community service, Leoni’s teams at William & Mary completed annual engagements totaling over 75 team hours. That number increased at Marymount following the introduction of 7 Days of Service, working with organizations such as the Children’s National Hospital, Vs. Cancer Foundation and Team Impact. In 2019, Leoni was named a National Coaches Ambassador for Vs. Cancer.
Leoni will make his coaching debut for the Mount in February 2022.
