By Jerry Shank
Maryland Director of Scouting
Follow @PBRMaryland

The University of Maryland is coming off a historic run winning the first Regional in school history and advancing to the Super Regional. Coming into 2015 the Terps have been ranked in multiple preseason polls being as high as No. 14 in the nation in one. There is a lot of anticipation and excitement this season as they were picked to win the Big Ten in their first season in the conference.  Associate Head Coach Jim Belanger sat down with PBR Maryland to talk about recruiting. 

How did the year 2014 go for the University of Maryland in terms of recruiting?

--2014 was very good to us. We had a lot of needs to fill for the 2015 class. We feel we filled those needs with high character young men who fit exactly what we were looking for on the field and in the classroom. We were also able to make some great strides in the 2016, 2017, and 2018 classes getting commitments in each.

How does it feel to have a bull’s-eye on you in your first year in the Big Ten?

--We embrace it! We believe we have the ability to be a team that can compete for a championship every year and we fully expect too.

With being expected to recruit across the country, how important is it for you to still have an impact in your home state?

--Recruiting Maryland is our #1 PRIORITY. We have and will continue to recruit the best players in the state to represent the University of Maryland.

With all the 2017 and 2018 commitments going on, what are your thoughts about young men making their decision at such an early age?

--I think it is different for each young man. If a school checks off every box on the list of a young recruit I understand the commitment. But many young prospects feel pressured to make a decision. Be patient and wait. Look for the right fit academically and athletically.

Have the new baseballs made any impact on the type of player you may recruit?

--Not at all. We saw a small difference with the new ball this fall but not enough to change the type of players we recruit.

How important is having some video footage available to you in order to begin to identify a player you may not have seen before?

--Video is a great way for us to evaluate some tools of a young man. It opens our eyes to a lot of players we may have not seen before.

Prep Baseball Report may be new to Maryland, but is an established resource for amateur baseball across the country. How do you feel that Prep Baseball Report is in Maryland?

--It’s great for the state and for all the high school players in it.