William and Mary Baseball Coaching Staff

01/01/00

- Frank Leoni
Head Coach

After leading the Tribe to a winning record in 2007, Head Coach Frank Leoni looks to guide the William and Mary baseball team to even greater success as he enters his third season at the helm of the program.

Since arriving in Williamsburg prior to the 2006 season, Leoni has quickly and successfully rebuilt the team. Last year was illustrative of this as the squad posted a 29-25 mark and boasted a 21-10 record at Plumeri Park. Additionally, the Tribe led the Colonial Athletic Association in team batting average (.319) and fielding percentage (.969). The season also marked a milestone for Leoni, who earned his 300th career win when the Tribe defeated Towson, 6-0, on March 18.

In addition to the success experienced by the team collectively, a number of individuals posted impressive seasons under Leoni’s tutelage. Leading the group in 2007 was Greg Sexton, who was selected to five All-America teams after finishing the season ranked second nationally with a .455 batting average. Honored as the CAA Co- Player of the Year, Sexton was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays with the first pick of the 10th round. The selection marked the second consecutive season in which Leoni has had a player drafted, as Joe Kantakevich was chosen by the Seattle Mariners in the 13th round in 2006.

In addition to Sexton, catcher Tim Park and second baseman Brent McWhorter each earned all-conference kudos. Park also joined Sexton on the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-Region First Team.

After earning CAA All-Freshman Team accolades in 2006, first baseman Mike Sheridan continued to improve with Leoni’s guidance and was honored as the NCAA statistical champion for the toughest player to strikeout. With just five strikeouts in 209 at-bats, he finished the year with a ratio of just one strikeout per every 41.8 at-bats. The impressive figure represents the nation’s best mark since 1999.

During his initial season in Williamsburg, Leoni guided a relatively inexperienced W&M club to a 23-29 record overall and an 11-19 mark in CAA play. Despite the modest record, the College improved consistently throughout the season and finished the year by winning 10 of its final 13 contests, missing the CAA playoffs by just a single game. During the impressive stretch run, the Green and Gold claimed three of its final four conference series and was playing as well as any team in the league.

In addition to rebuilding the product on the field, Leoni has been instrumental in a number of upgrades to Plumeri Park. While the facility already ranked among the best in the region, the minor renovations have enhanced the park. Among the upgrades were natural grass base lines on each foul line, a 10-foot artificial turf halo added behind the home plate area, bi-level wooden benches in the dugouts and stadium padding on the backstop.

Leoni came to the College after a long and successful stint as the head coach at the University of Rhode Island, where he was the winningest coach in the school’s history. A URI graduate, Leoni guided the Rams for 13 seasons and led the program to unprecedented success. In addition to compiling a 146-118-1 record during his final five seasons, he led the squad to two consecutive Atlantic 10 regular-season championships and three consecutive Atlantic 10 East Division championships. In 2005, Rhode Island posted a 34-21 mark and earned the program’s initial NCAA Tournament berth after claiming the A-10 title. Under Leoni’s watch, the Rams earned at least 24 wins in each of his last seven seasons and compiled a conference record of 54-18 from 2003-05.

During his tenure with URI, Leoni posted an overall record of 266-343-3. In 2004, he led the Rams to a school-record 35 victories and a 20-4 mark in A-10 play, becoming just the second school in league history to win 20 conference games. His accomplishments did not go unrecognized, as he was named the A-10 Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. Additionally, he garnered New England Coach of the Year accolades for his efforts.

“We are really excited to have Frank Leoni as our new baseball coach,” W&M Athletics Director Terry Driscoll said at the time of Leoni’s hiring in August, 2005. “His 13 years at the University of Rhode Island demonstrated his ability to overcome the challenges necessary to build a program to an NCAA-caliber competitor. In that same period, his teams demonstrated tremendous academic success. Together, his academic and athletic success makes him a terrific fit for the College of William and Mary and its baseball program.”

“I am extremely honored to become the next head baseball coach at William and Mary,” Leoni said at the time of his hiring. “This is a tremendous opportunity, and I thank Terry Driscoll and the entire William and Mary community for their confidence. I am excited to get started and to build upon the tradition of William and Mary baseball.

“My plan for Tribe Baseball is to build a program in which every student-athlete, coach, administrator and alumnus feels a strong sense of ownership and pride,” Leoni said. “In the long-term, my goal is for William and Mary to become the model baseball program in the CAA - one which enjoys exceptional on-field success without compromising the educational mission of its student-athletes.”

Coupled with his team’s success, Leoni oversaw the development of a number of players who continued their baseball careers in the professional ranks. Four of Leoni’s players were drafted from 2003-05, while two others signed professional contracts.

In 2005, pitcher Zack Zuercher was drafted in the ninth round by the Saint Louis Cardinals. Additionally, third baseman Mike Rainville and closer Mick Lefort signed free agent contracts with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Chicago Cubs, respectively. Following the 2004 season, second-team All-America first baseman Dan Batz was a sixth-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers. That came on the heels of pitchers Reid Willett (Chicago Cubs, 21st round) and Jared Trout (Oakland Athletics, 28th round) getting drafted following the 2003 season. Another of Leoni’s top recruits at URI, Stephen Homes, was selected by the New York Mets during the fifth round of the 2006 MLB draft. In 2001, shortstop Mike LaBarbera earned All-America status and signed with the Montreal Expos.

While the accomplishments on the field are impressive, Leoni’s commitment to developing student-athletes who excel in the classroom is also notable. At Rhode Island, he coached two District I Academic All-Americans and four Academic All-Conference selections during his final three years. The tradition of success has continued at W&M, as Sexton and Jeff Lunardi have each earned Academic All-District III acclaim.

Not only was Leoni a presence on the field, he had a positive impact on the Rhode Island community. He ran several clinics for local children, and his summer camps were among the most popular in New England.

The Cranston, R.I., native was an A-10 All-Academic performer as a shortstop for the Rams and held six school records at the conclusion of the 1991 season. He earned a bachelor of science degree in accounting in 1990 and completed work on his master’s degree in Business Administration from URI in 2003.

He and his wife Kerri have two daughters: Karsen, six, and Casey, three.


Adam Taylor
Assistant Coach

Adam Taylor enters his third season as an assistant coach at William and Mary and assists Head Coach Frank Leoni with all aspects of the program. While his primary responsibility is to lead the recruiting efforts for the Tribe, Taylor also works with the catchers on a daily basis and assists coach Leoni with the hitters and base runners. During games, Taylor is responsible for the positioning of the defense and coaches third base.

Taylor was instrumental in the Tribe’s success last season, as the squad led the Colonial Athletic Association in team batting average (.319) and fielding percentage (.319). Additionally, Taylor helped guide a number of individual players to outstanding seasons. Highlighting this list was All-American third baseman Greg Sexton, who finished the season ranked second nationally with a .455 batting average. Drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 10th round last summer, Sexton was honored as the CAA Co-Player of the Year and was selected to five All-America teams. Catcher Tim Park also had a stellar season and joined Sexton on the ABCA All-Region First Team, while first baseman Mike Sheridan was honored as the NCAA statistical champion for the toughest player to strike out, establishing the nation’s best mark since 1999.

Taylor joined the Tribe staff in 2005 after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Richmond, where he worked primarily with the outfielders and headed the Spiders’ recruiting. During the 2003 season, Taylor helped lead the Spiders to a 48-13 record, an A-10 Conference West Division Championship, an A-10 Conference Tournament Championship and a No. 2 seed in the Palo Alto Regional at Stanford University. Also during the 2003 season, Richmond was ranked as high as No. 9 in the national polls. During Taylor’s tenure at Richmond, the Spiders had 10 players drafted in the MLB Amateur Draft, and he was responsible for recruiting five players who were either drafted out of high school or have been drafted since his departure.

Prior to working with the UR program, Taylor was the assistant coach at Guilford College in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference for two seasons and Greensboro College one year. At Guilford, Taylor was responsible for hitting, infield defense instruction and recruiting. In 2002, the Quakers finished with a 30-14 record. During his tenure at Greensboro, Taylor served as a baseball assistant and strength and conditioning coach.

During the summer of 2002, Taylor served as an assistant coach for the Winchester Royals of the prestigious Valley Baseball League. While with the Royals, Taylor coached Kevin Kouzmanoff, the starting third baseman for the San Diego Padres.

Taylor, a native of Richmond, Va. and graduate of Mills Godwin High School, lettered four years as a third baseman at Randolph-Macon College. He garnered Virginia Sports Information Directors’ All-State honors as a junior before earning his bachelor’s degree in economics and business in 1999. Adam currently resides in Quinton, Va., with his wife Julie.


Jad Prachniak
Assistant Coach

A former pitcher for head coach Frank Leoni at the University of Rhode Island, Jad Prachniak is in his third season as an assistant coach at William and Mary.

Prachniak serves as the Tribe’s pitching coach and assists with recruiting.

Prior to joining the College’s staff, Prachniak was a volunteer assistant for Leoni at Rhode Island. During that time, he also served as the pitching coach at The Prout School.

Prachniak was a four-year letterwinner with the Rams from 2001-04 and compiled a career record of 3-5. His best season came as a junior when he registered a 2-1 mark with a 3.48 ERA, the lowest among Rhode Island starting pitchers. Additionally, he limited the opposition to a team-best .243 batting average and helped propel the Rams to the Atlantic 10 Eastern Division Championship. As a senior, Prachniak served as a captain and helped lead the squad to the Atlantic 10 regular-season title. That season, he also received a Scholar-Athlete Award from the House of Representatives.

At The Prout School, Prachniak was part of the highly regarded coaching staff that was honored as the state Division III Coaching Staff of the Year.

Prachniak earned a bachelor’s of science degree in kinesiology from Rhode Island in 2005.

Kyle Padgett
Volunteer Assistant Coach

Former William and Mary standout infielder Kyle Padgett enters his first season as a volunteer assistant with the Tribe.

Padgett assists with the hitters, infielders, outfielder and base runners, while his game duties include serving as the first base coach. Additionally, he assists with administrative and field maintenance duties.

After a stellar career at the College, Padgett was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 18th round of the 2005 MLB Draft. After playing most of the 2005 season with the Gulf Coast League Marlins, he spent the majority of the following season with the Jupiter Hammerheads of the Florida State League. Padgett was a member of the Washington Wild Things of the Frontier League this past summer.

Padgett finished his career at W&M with a .288 batting average, 18 home runs, 138 RBI and 132 runs scored. He ranks ninth on the program’s all-time list for games played (196) and 10th in games started (178). Padgett’s best season came as a senior when he hit .311 with nine home runs, 52 RBI and 46 runs scored.

A native of Needham, Mass., Padgett graduated from the College with a bachelor’s of science degree in kinesiology.