By Jerry Shank
Maryland Director of Scouting
Follow @PBRMaryland

UMBC recruiting coordinator Liam Bowen is entering his fourth year with the Retrievers.  He works with the pitching staff and has played a key role in the resurgence of the UMBC program.  Bowen took time out of his busy schedule to sit down with PBR Maryland and talk a little recruiting. 

How was 2014 for UMBC in terms of recruiting?

Every year gets better for us. Each recruiting class builds on the efforts we have made in previous classes. I think potential recruits are starting to recognize where our program is headed and want to be a part of building something special. We expect to improve our overall talent level each year and feel very good about that with the 2015 class and going forward.

Tell us something that players might not know about UMBC?

The history and potential of our program. We took over three years ago after the program had been struggling but that was not always the case. UMBC has won championships, had All-Americans and sent guys to the big leagues. This is a place that has had a lot of success in the past. Our job is to bring the program back to that level and we are on our way.

How would you describe the very competitive America East conference?

Underrated and challenging. My three seasons in the AEC have left me nothing but impressed.
Since I was hired at UMBC, our conference has had a team go to Omaha, multiple first round picks and some big wins against national programs. These are things that just do not happen in every D1 conference. I think it is as good as any mid major conference on the east coast.

Have you been able to tell a difference with the new baseball? Has it had any effect on recruiting a specific type of player?

I actually think the new ball has been blown out of proportion a little bit. We played with it all fall. We found that the ball that we really hit hard carried a little further in the outfield but that is about it. I think its effects will be much less dramatic than the introduction of BBCOR standards in 2011. We expect a few more extra base hits but quality pitches will still get people out.

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 something needs to change. This is not a development that is good for families or our sport. There is a real information gap between a recruit, their parents, and the college coaching staff making an offer. I think that most coaches do things in an honorable way, but the whole situation is just too easy to exploit.
I would like to see the signing period eliminated. I think that it is an outdated system and would like to see NLI's available any time. That would cut down on early commitments dramatically and make the system fairer for all involved.

As a recruiter you have to be everywhere at once. How do you like the fact that Prep Baseball Report will now run events in Maryland?

I am thrilled about it. PBR has been a great resource for us in our other recruiting areas so getting it in our home state is an exciting thing for us. We expect to use it a lot.

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

Critical. Video is how I determine who I go see to a great extent. I can only be one place at one time so I want to make sure that I am in front of quality guys. I watch a ton of video in the office to make sure that our program is getting the most out of my time on the road.

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

We use any available means to bring the best talent we can to our program. We expect PBR Maryland to be a great tool for identifying the top players in our state and making sure that we are recruiting them aggressively. We look forward to using it quite a bit.