Baseball Factory is privileged to work with programs from every level of college baseball. We strive to educate and guide our players when it comes to choosing the right school. The more information a player knows about a school, coach and program, the better. Woody Wingfield had the chance to sit down with Dean Ehehalt, the Head Coach at Monmouth University and current record holder for most wins in Northeast Conference history. Monmouth is a Division I program in the Northeast Conference. Find out what Coach Ehehalt had to say about his mentors, the importance of video and what he looks for in a recruit.

1.    How long have you been coaching? How long at Monmouth University?
23 years and I am in my 19th at Monmouth.

2.    Who are some of your mentors or coaches that you look up to?
I had many coaches who influenced me and shaped my philosophy.  I was able to take a little from each one of those coaches.  I cherish those relationships and think about them often.

3.    What is the first thing about Monmouth and its baseball program that you want recruits to know about?
It is a great place to be a college baseball player.  Academically, Monmouth develops students and provides them with the opportunity to get a quality education in a great learning environment.  Athletically, we put a great amount of work into giving our players a first class experience. We play quality non-conference opponents, compete for our Northeast Conference Championship on a regular basis and also have demonstrated the ability to develop our players’ physical skills that will give them the best chance to reach our team goals and their individual goals.  Our campus is one mile from the beach, so it’s a great place to live and go to school.

4.    What do you look for in a prospective recruit on the field? Off the field?
There is no science to recruiting.  One thing we look for is of course baseball talent. We also look for guys that love to play, love to compete, have a bunch of energy and that old grind it out mentality.  Off the field, character is huge as well as a young person who respects those around him.

5.    How has video helped you in the recruiting process?
Video has helped get acquainted with a player’s ability, especially with someone from out of the area.  I like the fact that video can show a specific talent as well as expose a weakness or show improvement from a player.

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6.    Monmouth obviously had a great season last year, winning 25 games in the Northeast Conference. What are you telling your players this fall to build on last season’s success?
We have been very fortunate to have a bunch of good players and good teams over the years.  When this is the case, the “torch” is kind of passed along from the upperclassmen.  We are proud of the fact that we won 36 games last year, but are still looking at last year as a learning experience and we are trying to build on that.  Our goal is the same every year and this year will be no different; our journey will be a little different though.  We emphasize winning every pitch and don’t put too much of an emphasis on last year’s successes.  Our 2012 team is trying to carve their own niche.  

7.    Can you break down your fall practice schedule? What are you all trying to accomplish?
We have a format that allows us to have full team practice for approximately six weeks.  Within this time frame we emphasize the development of individual skills offensively and defensively as well as team offense and team defensive concepts. We always try to make the game as challenging as possible by competing as much as we can.  We like to play as many innings as   possible while letting the players show us what they can do?  The emphasis in the fall is to build the foundation for the spring.

8.    Do you have a strength and conditioning coach?
Yes, Tim Rehm is our coach and he does a great job with our players.  He really emphasizes player development and it shows.

9.    What can you tell us about your facilities?
Our home field is a great park to play in.  It is picturesque, fan friendly and we draw a very good crowd.  Our indoor training area provides us with a very good area to develop our skills year round.  The Monmouth University Athletic Center (MAC) is a brand new state of the art athlete center that houses our locker room.  Overall, we have very nice facilities that allow for maximum player development.
    
10.    What part of the 2012 schedule are you looking forward to the most?
Personally, the entire schedule is exciting.   I look forward to conference play, but it is a long process and there has to be some balance.

11.    Is there anything you would like to add about your assistant coaches, recruits, parents, or program that we have not asked you about?
My assistant coaches do a great job.  Coach Barbalinardo has been with me for all 19 years; my first two were his last two as a player and he has been on the staff for 17 years.  Coach Belanger is as good a young coach as there is; he has really done a great job with our pitchers and is a tireless worker.  Coach Oliveri is in his first year and has come in and made an immediate impact.  We feel like we have built Monmouth into a very nice place to play.  

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