Conversations with College Coaches: Penn State University- Greater Allegheny
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. In our latest interview, Dan Mooney spoke with Head Coach James Chester from Penn State University- Greater Allegheny.
1. How long have you been coaching? How long at the Pennsylvania State University-Greater Allegheny?
I have been coaching for 9 years, 6 as a head coach. I am currently in my 5th season at Penn State Greater Allegheny.
2. Who are some of your mentors or coaches that you look up to?
I always wanted to be a high school teacher/baseball coach, until my college coach (Joe Schaly Thiel College) told me that I should get into collegiate coaching. Joe Spano (Mercyhurst College) has also been a great friend and mentor throughout my short career.
3. What is the first thing about your school and program that you’d want a recruit to know about?
First and foremost, when you graduate from our University you receive a degree from Penn State University. As far as baseball goes, when a player decides to join our family he will become a better player, compete against the best possible competition, and also compete for a championship.
4. What qualities do you look for in a prospect on the field? Off the field?
We want a young man that is self-motivated in the class room, weight room, and on the field. We don’t put a lot of value in the 60 or defensive ability, our program wants players that can flat out hit.We pride ourselves in mastering the quality at-bat, getting into the opponents bullpen, and scoring a lot of runs. On the mound, we look for velocity righties (84-88) with a strong second pitch. Left handed pitchers are few and far between, so if we find one we will take him!
5. How has video helped your recruiting?
I think video has had a tremendous impact on our recruiting. A few of our better players in our program were recruited on video. We always like to see everyone play, but it is always not a reality. The landscape of college baseball has really changed. I know 10 years ago our program was not recruiting players from the other side of the state, or even out of state. The same can be said for many other programs. Now, with video and great resources like the Baseball Factory we can find players from anywhere.
6. Do you recruit from Junior Colleges?
Absolutely! The interest is growing every year from JC, and we are hoping to add a few this year from some great programs.
7. Can you break down your fall practice schedule? What will you try to accomplish?
In the fall we practice 6 days a week for 6 weeks. We are permitted 3 dates to play outside competition. The fall is for player development, and installing our system. The weather is always great, and we really get a great time to evaluate our new players, and watch the completion for all our spots.
8. Do you have a strength and conditioning coach?
Our assistant coach, Joe Ranalli, is our strength and conditioning coach. He is a tremendous asset to our program. We are in the weight room 3 days a week, and the program shows some great dividends in the spring. Our training involves a lot of baseball movements to exhaustion, and our players love it!
9. Anything planned for your facilities (upgrades, changes, etc.)?
We are trying to get a second cage in our gym. We do not have an on-campus facility, but we play all of our games on turf (Woodland Hills HS, Pullman Park, and Consol Energy Park). We really hope to have something on-campus in the near future.
10. Is there anything you would like to add about your assistant coaches, recruits, parents, or program that we have not asked you about?
Small college baseball is the purest form of baseball, and I couldn’t be happier at Penn State Greater Allegheny. Our young men, and staff work as hard as anyone, and they just want to get better every day and win championships. The support from our institution, parents, and community is tremendous.
