But EMU鈥檚 growing success, including a recent upset of Bridgewater鈥檚 highly touted team, suggests that Spotts鈥� recruiting philosophy鈥攁nd his mission for the Royals program –is helping the Royals compete at a higher level.

Of the 42 players on the Royals roster, 12 are from the Shenandoah Valley.

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鈥檚 the rich local history of the game: The , which dates to 1897, and the , 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).

Valley baseball players

鈥淭here鈥檚 not much else to do in the Valley but play ball,鈥� jokes Martin Clark, a sophomore pitcher who graduated from Broadway High School.

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

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.

The southern Valley is represented by freshman pitcher Tristan Childress, Waynesboro, and senior outfielder and pitcher Kyle Armstrong, Riverheads.

This group of mostly underclass local talent symbolizes Spotts鈥� recruiting strategy鈥攁nd it鈥檚 one factor contributing to a significant turn-around in the program’s history.

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.

More and more wins

In 2011 and 2012, EMU managed only 11 wins. Most ODAC schools would look at their schedules before the season started and etch a 鈥淲鈥� next to EMU鈥檚 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 , currently a catcher for the Kansas City Royals). It was also just the third 20-win season in program history.

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 , 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).

Ryan McAlister聽’14 saw the struggling program turn around under Spotts鈥� guidance. He arrived at EMU in 2011 from nearby Turner Ashby High School and one of the state鈥檚 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).

鈥淕oing from a very competitive school in high school, to my first year here 鈥� winning 11 games and losing 28 鈥� it was a lot different than being on a winning program,鈥� said McAlister, who currently coaches the junior varsity team at his alma mater.

Planned, disciplined practices

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.

Under Spotts鈥� 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.

Spotts is 鈥渢horough and disciplined, and he鈥檚 got a plan,鈥� says Dave McAlister, who hardly missed one of his son鈥檚 home games. 鈥淗e鈥檚 organized. He鈥檚 a good fit for EMU, and EMU鈥檚 a good fit for him.鈥�

Of his son鈥檚 progress on and off the field, McAlister says EMU was an excellent choice: 鈥淎t EMU, Ryan picked up what we might call maturity things.鈥�

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 鈥渃onvincing.鈥� Perhaps more importantly, Childress said the senior leadership were just as positive about the program and the upcoming season.

Recruiting coachable, motivated students

When recruiting players, Spotts says he looks for coachable and motivated student-athletes 鈥渨ho want to be a part of the campus community and are committed to being a part of the academic and athletic community at EMU.鈥�

鈥淭hese players are committed to making our baseball program on of the top in the ODAC,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd they understand the hard work and year round commitment that is involved in competing in a college baseball program.聽 I continually talk about our team and each player leaving their mark on our program in a positive way.鈥�

In the previous two seasons, seven players have earned s and one player, Jonathan Estrada, was named to the .

As for future recruits, Spotts says he鈥檚 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.

Like the game of baseball, EMU is 鈥渙pen to all faiths,鈥� he says. 鈥淐ome visit. You may not come here if you do visit, but you鈥檒l think hard about it.鈥�

The Royals improved to 16-17 with that road decision, giving them the most wins in a season since 2002.聽The team finished the season nine days later at 20-19 overall.

For perspective, the 2002 team, which ended the season 29-13, featured star senior Erik Kratz, a current player in the Toronto Blue Jays system behind the plate. In聽2013, Kratz was a starting catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. While at EMU, Kratz was named Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Player of the Year twice and finished his EMU career with the NCAA record 75 doubles.

The Royals have seen their win total rise over the past two years under the guidance of . EMU won 15 games in 2013 after totaling 11 wins the previous three seasons (2010-12). The 20 wins earned this year are the most earned since the 2002 team collected 29 wins en route to a fourth-place finish in the ODAC.

Stand-out players during the April 10, 2014 game that tipped the season’s win-loss balance over .500:

• 聽(Bridgewater, Va./Turner Ashby) wrapped up the scoring with a two-run single
• 聽(Miami, Fla./Doral Academy)聽batted 4-5
• 聽(Poquoson, Va./Poquoson) scored twice
• 聽(Bridgewater, Va./Turner Ashby) had two doubles and two runs
• 聽(Virginia Beach, Va./Salem) smacked two doubles
• 聽(Chesapeake, Va./Oscar Smith) scored twice
• Starting pitcher聽聽(Gloucester, Va./Gloucester) threw 6.0+ scoreless innings to improve to 2-3
• 聽(New Market, Va./Stonewall Jackson) tossed scoreless ball for two innings

These and other players kept the momentum going the last few games of the season, and then .

Senior Ryan McAlister聽 was recognized as the Royals “Athlete of the Week” on April 21.

Learning to lead through hardship

McAlister was a consistent starter for the baseball team all four of his years at EMU. 聽He was a key player this spring in lifting the team above .500 to a winning record. McAlister played聽the best game of his career on Senior Saturday, April 12, when he batted 5-for-6 with three runs and three RBIs in an exciting 18-8 victory over Virginia Wesleyan College. (.)

鈥淸Coach Spotts] always tells us that he鈥檚 a winner and we can be winners, too,鈥� said Ryan. 聽鈥淚t was easy to get behind the coach and buy into the winning plan he brought to us, because he has a lot of knowledge, experience and success in the game.鈥�

Ryan admits that his first two years on the EMU baseball team were tough – the team struggled with a losing record – but he says he would not trade that experience for anything. 聽Being a starter for his team for four years helped him play a more prominent role on his team and become a vocal leader, he says.

鈥淎s a freshman, I led by example. 聽I did things the right way. 聽I played the game hard,鈥� Ryan explained. 聽鈥淎nd as I started to gain more experience and the seniors started to graduate, I became more vocal.鈥�

With plans to finish classes in December, the sports and recreational leadership major says he really appreciates the small class sizes that EMU offers and the relationships he has built with his professors.

Learn more about EMU student-athletes

• Become a student-athlete at EMU

EMU 6, MCLA 5
The Royals opened with an afternoon game against the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and they scored single runs in each of the first four innings.聽 The Trailblazers put up three runs in the third, then took a 5-4 lead with two more runs in the bottom of the fourth.

Neither team would score again until the eighth, when (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge) hit a two-out RBI double to tie the score.聽 (Poquoson, Va./Poquoson) then led off the top of the ninth with a double, was sacrificed to third, and scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly from (Bridgewater, Va./Turner Ashby).聽 MCLA managed a one-out walk in their final at-bat, but that was it.

The men had an 11-8 advantage in hitting, led by Posey’s 3-5 with two runs.聽 The senior also started on the mound and pitched 6.1 innings for a no decision.聽 Only three of the runs were earned and Posey struck out nine batters.聽 (Carroll, Va./Carroll) earned the win by giving up just the one walk with four strikeouts in 2.2 innings.

EMU 14, Clark 6
Next up, the Royals resumed a doubleheader with Clark University.聽 The Cougars had led 5-1 when the rains had ended play the day before.聽 EMU had the bases loaded at the time, however, and the rally resumed when play picked back up on Friday.

The men put on a clinic in the at-bat, sending 17 men to the plate with nine hits and four walks.聽 EMU scored 12 runs to surge in front 12-5, with Hedrick knocking a pair of two-run singles in the inning.聽 (Fredericksburg, Va./Stafford) also had a two-run triple.

The Royals overcame four errors in the game by getting 15 hits and six walks in the seven-inning contest.聽 (Miramar, Fla./Monsignor Edward Pace) was 3-4 with three runs.聽 Hedrick was 2-4 with a walk and four RBIs, while (Bridgewater, Va./Turner Ashby) added three RBIs.聽 Every starter reached base at least twice for the men.

(Mechanicsville, Va./Hanover) pitched four innings and was charged with five runs.聽 (Greenville, Va./Riverheads) pitched Clark’s half of the fifth inning before rains suspended the game and earned the win.聽 (Front Royal, Va./Warren County) then threw the final two frames, giving up an unearned run.

EMU 6, Clark 3
The bats kept rolling in the nightcap as Eastern Mennonite jumped to a 6-1 lead.聽 Armstrong had a two-run single in the first.聽 The Cougars brought home single runs in the bottom of the fourth and fifth, but neither team scored over the final two innings.

(new Market, Va./Stonewall Jackson) and (Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield) combined to limit Clark to just three hits.聽 Henschel started and allowed all of the runs in 4.2 innings, although only one was earned.聽 Salladay struck out three in 2.1 innings of hitless relief.

Hedrick and Armstrong were each 2-4 with two RBIs.聽 Posey and McAlister each scored twice.聽 (Miami, Fla./Doral Academy) didn’t chart an official at-bat, but finished with three walks, a sacrifice fly, an RBI and a run scored.

As the Royals prepare for Christopher Newport on Tuesday, they will have a chance to see how they have improved in Ben Spotts’ second season as head coach and with his first full class of recruits.聽 Last year, EMU had the same number of wins as this year after their trip to Florida (at 11-8), but struggled through the ODAC season to a 15-24 final record.聽 Despite finishing with the most wins since 2002 last spring, the Royals will be looking for a better conference season this time around.

EMU 23, Mount Saint Vincent 10
The Royals scored three runs in their first at-bat, but broke open a tie game in the bottom of the second.聽 With two outs and just a runner on third, EMU took off.聽 (Bridgewater, Va./Turner Ashby) brought in three runs with a bases loaded single, and (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge) roped a two-run triple.聽 Seven runs scored as the men jumped in front, 10-3.

The Royals scored twice in the third, and four more times in the fifth, highlighted by a two-run double from (Miami, Fla./Doral).

The men led 16-8 in the bottom of the sixth when to landed another seven-run frame.聽 (Roanoke, Va./Cave Springs) had his own two-run triple, and (Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield) hit a pinch-hit two-run single.

Although the game featured a combined 13 errors, Eastern Mennonite had 21 hits to go with seven walks.聽 Mathews finished 3-3 with four RBIs while Estrada was 2-3 with three RBIs, two walks and two runs.聽 (Poquoson, Va./Poquoson) had three hits, scoring twice and knocking in two more.聽 Hedrick finished with four RBIs and two runs, while (Fredericksburg, Va./Stafford) scored three times.

(Shippensburg, Pa./Shippensburg) pitched five innings, giving up two earned runs on seven hits to get his first win of the season.

EMU 8, Mount Saint Vincent 4 鈥� 6 innings
While the nightcap never got flowing the way the first game did, the Royals took full advantage of CMSV’s three errors, as half of their runs were unearned.

The Dolphins led 1-0 when EMU took over in the bottom of the second.聽 Four runs scored, highlighted by ‘s (Bridgewater, Va./Turner Ashby) two-run single.聽 The visitors plated another single run in the third, but the Royals jumped the lead to 7-2 with three unearned runs in the bottom of the frame.

The final two innings were filled with tension, but little scoring, as EMU turned a double play to end the game after the top of the sixth on account of darkness.

Posey had four of the men’s 10 hits, going a perfect 4-4.聽 McAlister had two RBIs while Estrada reached base twice on walks.聽 (Rustburg, Va./Rustburg) singled in his only official at-bat, adding a walk, run and RBI to his totals.

(Front Royal, Va./Warren County) improved to 1-0 by scattering six hits over 5.0 innings.聽 (Mechanicsville, Va./Hanover) threw a scoreless sixth.

After sweeping all five games of their home-opening weekend, the Royals (6-1) are set to host Penn State-Harrisburg on Thursday.聽 EMU then welcome Emory & Henry on Saturday for their ODAC opener.