Coaches Roundtable: Roger Mallison Arkansas Baptist College

January 19, 2016

By: Zac Bottoms
Arkansas Scouting Director

All college programs have different ways to evaluate talent and come to their final decision on who to recruit and when they recruit them. I have sat down with Coach Roger Mallison from Arkansas Baptist College to discuss how his program works through the recruiting process.

PBR: At what grade do you start evaluating players for recruiting purposes?

Coach Mallison: We look at trying to identify talent, once the Student/Athlete gets to the Ninth Grade.In some instances we are looking at the kids who are playing in the upper level travel ball, before they get to High School

PBR: What are some of the biggest factors for you to recruit a student-athlete?

Coach Mallison: I like kids who are hard nosed, dirtbag types of players. They may not be the biggest or fastest kids, but have a high baseball IQ and are willing to put the team before themselves. Kids who attack the classroom with the same intensity as they play ball are also kids we look for. Baseball players who make the grades in the classroom get more opportunities at the next level than those who don't. I pride myself in helping these Student/Athletes get to the next level after their Junior College days are done.

PBR: What are some of the reasons you would not recruit a student athlete?

Coach Mallison: College baseball is not easy, so kids that are soft and have a slow motor or don't want to work on and off the field are kids we try to stay away from. Grades are a must, If a young man just gets by in the classroom, is he just going to try to get by on the field. Our society, seems to breed the attitude of what are you going to give me, and baseball, as I see it, is about earning everything you get.

PBR: What is the one skill a position player must have for you to recruit them and why?

Coach Mallison: That is a tough question. Baseball requires skills on many levels, but I can't teach you to run fast or throw hard. So given the fact that I love the aggressive style of play, I would say that the skill of being able to run fast is the skill that is a deciding factor for me.

PBR: What do you value more from a pitcher, pitch-ability or power and why?

Coach Mallison: Pitch-Ability, no doubt. As a player, the toughest pitcher for me to have success against was the pitcher who could change speeds and hit his spots. One of the definitions of pitching is keeping the hitter off balance, and those pitchers who have pitch-ability are more successful at keeping hitters off balance as opposed to power pitchers.

PBR: What advice do you have for student athletes that have a desire to play college baseball?

Coach Mallison: Be a student of your craft. If baseball is the game for you, learn all you can about the game. It is very difficult for a player to start really learning the game once he gets to college. Realize that this game is a grind, it is about who finishes and not about who starts out in front. The grinder type of player survives. Put the team first. Be coachable, listen to what input your coaches have for you and do the best you can in making adjustments that are suggested. Work hard on the weaker points of your game. Keep your grades up and be a dirtbag on the field.

Coaches Roundtable: Roger Mallison Arkansas Baptist College

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