Frank Leoni took over as the Mount’s 14th head baseball coach since 1925 on July 1, 2021.
In his 34
th year of experience at the NCAA Division I and Division III levels, Leoni has led four programs to a combined total of 680 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. Leoni has coached and/or recruited 45 players who have gone onto the professional ranks, including 29 MLB draft picks.
Since arriving at the Mount, Leoni has made nothing short of dominant progress. In each of the past three seasons (2023-25), the Mountaineers have won 22 or more games, a first in program history. In 2025, for the 2
nd consecutive year, the team made the postseason and had a winning conference record, a first in 17 and 18 years, respectively. In 2025, three players earned All-MAAC recognition. Serigne Sarre was a Second Team Selection, while Nolan Book and Sam Grube were named to the All-Rookie squad. Sarre became the second consecutive Freshman All-American selection. The team also obliterated the stolen base record with 181 swipes, good for 4
th in NCAA DI. Alumnus Scott Seeker became the 2
nd Mountaineer under Leoni to ink a professional contract. Seeker signed with the Sussex County Miners of the Frontier League.
In 2024, the Mountaineers made it back to the conference championship and won their first postseason games since the 2008 season. Finishing 9-3 in conference games to punch their ticket to Pomona, the Mount defeated Canisius and top-seeded Fairfield to enter the semifinals in the winners' bracket. Three players earned All-MAAC honors, including Rookie of the Year Devin Sheerin, First Team selection Scott Seeker, and Second Team selection Brendan Yagesh. The team set statistical records for runs scored (424), RBI (383), walks (295), hit-by-pitch (121), stolen bases (102), opponents' batting average (.280), strikeouts per nine (9.31), and strikeouts (507). Sheerin was also named Freshman All-American.
His 2023 season also showcased progress made as he and his team tied for the second most wins in program history, while also notching the most wins since 2007. He has led a program that accomplished its first winning home record since 2018, in the process defeating a Power 5 conference opponent (first since 2013). His team shattered three school records in 2023: most homeruns (77), highest slugging percentage (.487), and most strike outs thrown (381) in a season. Four players earned All-MAAC status. Scott Seeker was named First Team, while Tyler Long, JT Landwehr and Shane Wockley were chosen to the Second Team. Cooper Adams signed a free agent contract with the Boston Red Sox, and to date, has moved up to their AA affiliate (Portland Sea Dogs).
Leoni arrived in 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 by 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. For his success, Leoni was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2004, while also being named the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association DI Coach of the Year in 2004.
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. The 2008 team finished 3
rd in batting average at the NCAA DI level. A total of 14 players were drafted by Major League Baseball clubs, including fifth rounder Mike Sheridan in 2008. That same 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. His teams at the Mount have been recognized four consecutive years with the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award. 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 to more than 700 hours 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. This servant mentality has continued at the Mount with his teams annually contributing more than 700 hours of service per year. In 2019, Leoni was named a National Coaches Ambassador for Vs. Cancer.
THE LEONI FILE
| Season |
Record |
Conference |
Notes |
| 1993 |
12-26 |
5-14 |
|
| 1994 |
2-39-1 |
1-22 |
|
| 1995 |
12-31 |
5-16 |
|
| 1996 |
15-24 |
6-14 |
|
| 1997 |
14-28-1 |
6-15 |
|
| 1998 |
19-24 |
8-10 |
|
| 1999 |
22-28 |
10-11 |
|
| 2000 |
24-25-1 |
8-13 |
|
| 2001 |
27-23 |
10-12 |
|
| 2002 |
24-28 |
10-14 |
|
| 2003 |
26-26 |
16-8 |
A-10 Tournament, A10 Coach of the Year |
| 2004 |
35-20-1 |
20-4 |
A-10 East Champions, A-10 Tournament, A10/New England Coach of the Year |
| 2005 |
34-21 |
18-6 |
A-10 Champions, NCAA Long Beach Regional |
| Totals |
266-343-4 |
123-159 |
At Rhode Island |
| 2006 |
23-29 |
11-19 |
|
| 2007 |
29-25 |
13-16 |
|
| 2008 |
36-21 |
16-13 |
CAA Tournament |
| 2009 |
24-25 |
9-14 |
|
| 2010 |
27-24 |
10-14 |
|
| 2011 |
26-29 |
16-14 |
|
| 2012 |
31-25 |
12-18 |
|
| Totals |
196-178 |
87-108 |
At William & Mary |
| 2014 |
8-26 |
2-14 |
|
| 2015 |
17-17 |
9-9 |
CAC Tournament |
| 2016 |
23-17 |
13-5 |
CAC Semifinals, CAC/ECAC South Coach of the Year |
| 2017 |
20-21 |
9-9 |
CAC Tournament |
| 2018 |
13-23 |
5-13 |
|
| 2019 |
20-21 |
8-4 |
Atlantic East Tournament |
| 2020 |
13-6-1 |
n/a |
|
| 2021 |
20-7 |
15-3 |
Atlantic East Champions, NCAA High Point Regional, AEC Coach of the Year |
| Totals |
134-138-1 |
61-57 |
At Marymount |
| 2022 |
14-34 |
7-20 |
|
| 2023 |
25-27 |
10-14 |
|
| 2024 |
22-34-1 |
13-11 |
MAAC Semifinals |
| 2025 |
23-28 |
15-13 |
MAAC Single Elimination Round |
| Totals |
84-123-1 |
30-45 |
At Mount St. Mary's |
| Overall |
680-782-6 |
301-369 |
|
