Ty Leonhart '18 Recruiting Profile

My name is Ty Leonhart and I am currently a senior at Ryle High School in Union, Kentucky.  I envision my college career as being a time that I grow and develop as a person, both academically and on the baseball field.  My academic goal is to major in Business where I can put my leadership skills to good use.  I enjoy being around people and with a Business Degree, I hope to be able to motivate, encourage, and guide people to be successful while working with me.   By majoring in business, I can grow the skills that make me a good leader on the baseball field and use them to interact with people I work for, with, or people that work for me.  I am interested in different sizes of enrollment, and feel that I can be academically successful at any size of campus.  My athletic goal as a baseball player at the collegiate level is to be a positive influence on the program both on and off the field.  I will have a positive impact on the field by committing and dedicating myself to the program, coaches, and team.  I can reach this goal by impacting the team with consistent pitching performances, playing the field, quality at bats, and by being a leader on the team.  I will not shy away from a high-pressure situation, I accept the challenge and go after my goal with all I have.  I work very well in clutch situations, I am able to keep my composure, stay focused on the task at hand, do my job, and persevere.  I work hard to not let my highs get too high and my lows too low, I believe that there is always something I can work on and improve my performance, not only on the field, but in the classroom as well. 

As I grow mentally and physically, I will strive to conduct myself with honor, pride, and respect, as I am aware that my conduct is a direct reflection of my family, coaches, the program, team, and college.  I have experienced teammates that are not as serious about the game as I am, don't want to put in the effort and work it takes to be better for the team, and have bad attitudes, and these experiences have made me a stronger player.  I try to stay focused on my role and job on the team, keep my intensity level high, and achieve what I set out to do at every practice and game, and while most of the time I am successful with focusing on what is needed from me, a few times I have failed.  I understand fully how a player's attitude, character, and effort reflect on the program, and I intend on being a player that will have a positive effect on the program, team, coaches, and college.

Baseball became a true passion for me around age five.  My family had moved from Amarillo, TX to Murfreesboro, TN and I started playing on a t-ball team.  Being new to the area, I remember feeling very nervous about meeting my coach and teammates.  We had a great season and played for the championship.  I remember the feeling of joy and enthusiasm as we got the last out to end the game and win the championship.  Our family moved again in 2008 to Kentucky.  Once again, I had to meet new coaches and teammates.  I have the ability to connect with my teammates, whether they are underclassmen, or upperclassmen on the high school team, existing or new players on the summer team,  or a player that is subbing for one of our regular players.  For the past three summers, I have assisted our high school Varsity coach, JV coach, and Freshman coach in conducting the youth (4th-8th grade) baseball camp.  I have worked with players that attend the camp and interacted with them encouraging them to be great teammates, have positive attitudes, demonstrate good work ethic and hustle, and working with others to meet the goals of the team.  Whether I'm on the field or not, I understand that young ball players see me as what they hope to accomplish when they get to high school.I realize that I am often a "role model" for the younger players, especially when I am in my uniform, and I strive to be a positive impact in our community.  

Throughout my life, my parents have had the biggest influence on me.  During the tough times, they have picked me up, during the good times, they have helped keep me grounded, they have always supported me in whatever endeavor I had in my mind, they have never given up on me, and they have taught me to be a man that keeps his word, treats others with respect, takes pride in all that I do, and to go after all my dreams.  They instilled moral, ethical, and character values that I apply in my daily life in the classroom, community, and on the field.

I have had several coaches throughout my baseball career, my high school coaches instilled in me a desire to be the best, and a competitive edge, but the coach that has had the biggest influence on me as a player is Coach Tom Daria.  Coach Daria has been my summer coach for the past three years. He has challenged me to excel on the field, as a pitcher, infielder, outfielder, and hitter.  He has never lost confidence in my ability and has always seen me as a coachable player that will take the feedback from him and other coaches and use the feedback to better myself as a player for the team.  I value the time and feedback all my coaches contribute to me as a player, but I firmly believe Coach Daria has very high expectations, and I will always strive to meet those expectations.  Our summer team travels to showcase tournaments in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana each weekend during June and July, and in September and October, we compete in several local tournaments.  By playing in these tournaments, I have become more determined and dedicated to being a successful player.  I realize that I have not reached my full potential as a player, but my desire, commitment, and dedication drives me to put in the time, effort, and energy in reaching my full potential.  I am very confident that I can make a positive impact at the collegiate baseball level, as a player, teammate, and student.